A Certain Sighing Esper
by Stupid Studios
Summary: Coming from America, Joshua Hopper goes to Academy City, not knowing what awaits him. Now watch (read) as he goes through his new life of getting to know multiple blond's (weird I know), fight multiple opponents and still has to go to school. All the while trying to stay lazy. (This is a serious fanfic. No crack. Give it a try)
1. Chapter 1

**Yo mina! So this is the first fic on this account. I'm still somewhat new to this whole Index/Railgun thing, but there will not be any canon characters in here. Just as a heads up. Now I hope you all enjoy!**

**Small Note: All the names are random ones**

**Disclaimer: Don't own the actual series, but I do own everything else**

**Chapter 1: **Academy City

Academy City. A wondrous place filled with technology. Here lives special people with special powers and they are called Espers. The whole city is made up of high-tech machinery and schools to master these Esper powers.

These special people are ranked by their own level ranging from zero to five. This city, like any other, has social status depending on what level you are. Thirty percent of the people here are Level 0, meaning they don't have any Esper powers. After them are there's Level 1; they have the lowest amount of power. Next is Level 2; they have a higher power than those who are Level 1, but are still low on the scale. Then there's Level 3; they are the in between and are in the middle of the power spectrum. Now it is Level 4; they are uncommon, but they are the strongest among the normal people. Lastly there is Level 5; these are very special people who are so strong that one alone is able to take on an army.

Now that all formalities are done, let's get started with the story itself. Try not to be amazed at how spectacular this story is and try not to piss yourself when you go into your crazy fan mode. Thank you and I hope you enjoy.

* * *

><p>'That took forever. I'm pretty sure that we all know about that stuff if we're here.'<p>

Our current focus is on a boy who was sitting in the middle of multiple people in a gymnasium.

He had dark brown (almost black) hair that covered his ears and eyes, hazel eyes that you could hardly see and had slightly tan skin. He was wearing a white button up shirt and slacks.

He was currently staring at a man in the middle of a stage in the very front of the gym with a bored look on his face.

'Why do I have to be here? This place is so boring. Plus, I can't stand all these slow people here. Not to mention the uniform is irritating in its own right.'

He let out a silent sigh, then a yawn.

He looked around and saw that the whole gym was filled up with different student, who were mostly from Japan. He looked at the other side of the gym and didn't find anything of interest.

He let out another sigh and saw that the man in the middle of the stage was done talking.

"That is all. You are all dismissed. And remember to not be out after curfew."

Everyone got up and filed out of the gym.

The boy sighed as he quickly walked outside.

'So I have the rest of the day to myself. My options are to go look around the city, go back to my room and read some manga or go get something to eat.'

The boy counted the three ideas on his fingers.

He let out a sigh and looked around him.

He walked off to the side so he didn't have to get hit by the other people.

'I can never choose something to do.'

He saw some boy off to the side as well and started walking up to him.

"Ah, excuse me?"

"Yes?" The other boy asked.

He had black hair that went half way down his eyes and had black eyes. His eyes were more narrow than the first boy's and his skin was lighter. He was wearing the school uniform as well.

"Can you choose a number between one and three?"

"Okay...? One."

"Thanks." The first boy said before leaving, confusing the other boy. "So walking around the city it is."

* * *

><p>The teen was no longer dressed in his school's uniform, but rather a plain black shirt, gray shorts and a red sweater with an earbud in one ear.<p>

"I doubt I'm done with half of the city."

The boy let out a sigh as he sat down on a bench. He was at a small park and saw kids playing around.

'What time is curfew anyway?'

He pulled out his phone and touched one of the apps on it. The screen changed from a blank wallpaper to green with multiple option on it.

'At least a new chapter is up.' He thought as he started to read a manga on his phone.

"You like manga too?"

"What the bloody bell!?"

The boy jumped up when he heard the voice that came out of nowhere and a hand on his shoulder.

He looked and saw another boy standing there.

The new boy had blond hair and sky blue eyes. He was wearing a black blazer with a white dress shirt under it and slacks. He looked to be a few inches taller than the first boy.

"Sorry if I scared you."

The blond walked to the other side of the bench and took a seat.

"It's fine. I tend to jump at any physical contact that I didn't do." The first boy said as he took one earbud out. "You can blame my family for that."

"Note taken. My name is William Jones, by the way." The blond boy said. "or I guess I should say Jones William. Man, I don't like changing that."

"Will it is. I'm Joshua Hopper." The first boy said as he let out a sigh. "I know what you mean."

"Josh it is then." Will said with a grin.

Josh just sighed and continued talking.

"So is today your first day in the city?"

"No. I'm going to an all boy's school for Espers." Will said as he watched the kids play at the park.

"Same, well except the all boy's school and specifically for Espers parts." Josh said as he scrolled through his phone. "I'm guessing you're a foreigner if you have that kind if hair, have that kind of name and don't sound Japanese at all."

"Well, your guess would be correct. I'm from America. What about you? The same could be said for you."

"Yup. I'm also from America with a little bit of Mexican in me." Josh said, not taking his eyes off his phone. "So if you're going to a school for Espers, what ability do you have?"

His eyes did not turn away from his phone.

"Oh. I'm an Electromatser. What about you?"

"I do some Wind Manipulation. Nothing much."

Will nodded his head, not seeming to care about the nonchalant answer.

"So what level are you?"

"Hm? I don't know. They said I have to redo it because the scanner wasn't working right. What about you?" Josh asked, putting the phone away and looking at the ground.

"I'm a Level 4."

Hearing this, Josh just let out a whistle.

"So you're really strong then? Man, I wouldn't want to go against you then."

"**Attention all students. It is now curfew. Please return to your dorms.**" An announcer said around the city**.**

"Well, it looks like we gotta go, huh?" Josh said as the two got up.

"Yup. Let's meet up again some time. You're my first friend since I got here, so I don't really have many people to talk too." Will said sheepishly.

He got a confused look.

"I thought you've been here for a long time though."

Josh gave a skeptical look.

He himself wasn't one for making friends, but he could tell that Will was the type of person to be anyone's friend if they asked.

"Well..." Will said, scratching the back of his head. "I don't really hang out with the people at my school and I'm usually in my dorm. I've more or less been sheltered most of my time here. So what do you say?"

"Sure. Maybe we can look around the parts of the city I haven't been too."

"Sure. I'm fine with that. How about Saturday?"

"Alright. I don't have anything going on this whole week so that's fine." Josh said as he stretched his arms and legs.

"Great. See you then. Maybe next time you can tell me your level."

"Yeah. See ya. By the way, I never said we were friends."

Will didn't hear the last part and continued on his way.

* * *

><p>"Hey, can I have all of your attention!" A guy in the front of a classroom called out.<p>

All the students quickly quieted down.

"I have all your schedules here. For those of you who need to test out your ability, that will be in your Esper class." A tall, chubby teacher said as he started to called up students.

'Let's see. This is first period. Second period is P.E. Third is Math. Fourth is my Esper class. Fifth is Language. Sixth is Biology.' Josh thought as he looked at his class.

He let out a sigh and looked out the window.

He hasn't bother to try and communicate with anyone else on his class for the reason that he just didn't care about them. His mind would wonder from time to time, but he never stuck to one topic for a long time.

'It sucks that I can't listen to my music.'

He then noticed that the person sitting in front of him looked familiar.

He tapped the boy on the shoulder.

"Hey, aren't you the guy I asked to choose an option yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Sorry about that. I know it was probably weird, but I can never decide on things. My name is Joshua Hopper, by the way. Ah. I mean Hopper Joshua."

"It's fine. My name is Hitomi Shinji."

"Ah, so you are Japanese then?"

Shinji nodded his head.

Josh mentally sighed at his own question. Of course he would be Japanese, if Shinji's looks and tone were anything to go off of.

"I'm guessing you're a foreigner."

Now Josh nodded his head.

"Please be quiet for a little bit."

* * *

><p>'Finally. Now I can know my level. Watch it be Level Three.' Josh thought as he walked out to a field.<p>

Unlike Japanese schools, and almost all of Academy City's schools, the one Josh was attending took a different approach that made the students walk to their next class instead of making the teachers walk.

Josh was actually fine with this since he was use to it in America. He really had no complaints on the matter.

"So are you nervous to see your level?" Josh looked to the side and saw a brunet walking up to him. "My name is Kaito Aki. Hello."

"Hey. I'm Joshua Hopper. Damn. I mean Hopper Joshua."

'I really hate saying it like that.'

"So are you nervous to see what level you are?" Aki asked again as he polished his glasses.

"Not really. I think I'll get a low level, so it doesn't really matter to me." Josh said casually.

Even if he said those words, he knew that his level would be anything but low.

He was an odd and rare case that was naturally born with his ability and didn't require to be injected with anything or have his brain rewired.

He was _really_ glad about that.

"Well, we'll see in a little bit." Aki said as the teacher started to talk.

"Okay, everyone get to their sections for the test!" The teacher called out.

The two went to different sections and after Aki was done with his, he went over to see Josh.

"Looks like I'm balanced at a Level 3. What about you?"

"I haven't gone yet. I'm about to go." Josh said as he walked up.

"Okay, what is your ability?" The teacher asked.

"Air Manipulation." Josh said with a bored tone.

"Very well." The teacher went and set something up.

'This is going to be irritating, I just know it.'

Josh let out a sigh as he saw multiple, large bricks stacked on top of each other.

"We'll start with this. You just need to try and lift as many as you can using your ability."

Letting out another sigh, Josh lifted his right hand. Wind started to gather around the bricks and lifted all of them off the ground.

Josh could hear some of the other students behind him whispering or making sounds of astonishment.

This small feat was as easy as breathing to him. Simple wind movement basically _was _breathing for him.

"Look, if you're going to make a test like this, you will need a lot more than this."

The wind slowly died down and the bricks fell to the ground with Josh looking as if he didn't do anything.

"Honestly, you kids are getting more and more arrogant." The teacher mumbled as he set up more bricks.

'I have a right to be arrogant with my ability. Such an irritating teacher.'

"All right try and lift these up." The teacher said with a smug look.

More bricks were added and some of the students even doubted he would be able to lift them.

Josh let out yet another sigh and lifted his hand again.

Like before, the wind started to gather around the bricks and they were quickly lifted from the ground, making even more noise.

"Anything else?"

"Yes. You just need to do one more test."

"Let's get this over with."

"Follow me. Everyone else, say put."

'I wonder what the test is.' Aki thought as he looked at the direction the two went.

After a few seconds, there was a loud explosion that shook the ground.

"A-amazing..."

Everyone was in shock from the shock.

'That level of attack is amazingly high! Is it possible that's he's a-'

* * *

><p>"LEVEL 5!?"<p>

"Why do you have to yell?" Josh asked as he covered his ear.

Will just ignored his question and continued to look at the paper in his hands.

He himself being a Level 4 was amazed that someone new to the city would be able to get high enough marks to be a Level 5.

"You got crazy numbers! That means you're one of the strongest people in Academy City!"

Josh just sighed and looked at his phone.

He really didn't care about something like that. True, he was proud of having that strong power, but he had to train enough to reach that level of power. He didn't need some test to tell him how strong he is.

"Yeah. So what? It's nothing special."

He got a shocked look from the blond.

"Are you crazy!? You're one the _strongest _in the city! How is that not special!?" Will exclaimed, getting looks from nearby people as the two walked around the city.

Josh wasn't sure, but he thought he heard a small amount of disdain from the other's voice.

He wasn't good at reading people closely and could only tell of something was wrong when they obviously show it, but he found it odd that he could detect something so small of a person that he had met only a few days ago.

"Dude, shut up! I don't give a damn about that, but don't go saying that out loud like that! I don't want to deal with people!" Josh whispered-yelled harshly.

"Sorry."

"Whatever. Besides, they told me that these scores are only for a regular Esper level. I'm gonna have to take another test to see where I'm ranked among the other Level 5 Espers." The teen said with a shrug.

"To think, my new friend is a Level 5. This is so cool."

Josh narrowed his eyes at hearing this.

"We are _not_ friends. You just proved it."

Will didn't seem to hear the small mumble.

Josh let out a small sigh and put his phone away.

"You wanna get something to eat? I'm starting to get hungry." Josh said as he held his growling stomach.

"Sure. I'm kinda hungry too."

* * *

><p>The two had continued to walk and found a small place to eat. After entering the place, they got in line and waited.<p>

"Tsk. There are too many people here. I'm gonna go find a seat." Josh said, getting a nod from the other.

Will felt something vibrate in his pocket and got his phone out. He saw that it was a text from Josh on what he wanted.

'I wonder why the line is so long? This place seems to have fast customer service.' Will thought as he tried to look ahead.

He couldn't see anything, but people grumbling or yelling.

He tapped the person in front of him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, but what's going on?"

The man turned around with a sigh.

"Apparently a customer is complaining about something and is holding up the line." The guy said, turning back around to see if the line moved at all.

'Well, this is bad. If there's one thing I've learned about Josh so far is that his patience is thinner than a string.' Will thought as he got out of line and walked up to the front. 'If that previous incident is anything to go off of.'

He saw a small blond boy in the front arguing with the cashier and using big words that Will didn't even know existed.

"That's why I demand-"

"Ah, excuse me, but you're holding up the line. Can't you let us order and you settle this off to the side?"

"No. Not until I get exactly what I ordered!" The small boy said, crossing his arms.

The boy reminded Will of a child having a tantrum for not getting what he wants.

With the height of the boy it wouldn't be far off.

"But you're holding up the line and people are getting angry." Will said, gesturing to the others in line.

"So what? They can wait!"

"But I can't."

The two blonds were shocked when the small boy was pushed forward and out of the way.

Will looked and saw Josh standing there and putting his foot down.

"There. You're out of line. Go to the back or get out." He said, looking down at the kid. He then turned to the questioning gaze of the taller blond. "I got tired of waiting and wanted to see what was going on."

Will just nodded his head, knowing how the other could be.

He couldn't help but wonder what the damage would have been if he was really mad and not just slightly irritated.

"Hey, that's not fair! I was here before them!" The boy exclaimed as he jumped up.

"Life isn't fair. Deal with it." Josh said as he started to walk back to where he came from. Before turning a corner, he took a glance at Will. "You have ten minutes before I come back."

Will furiously nodded his head, not wanting to anger the other even more. He didn't want those thoughts of destruction becoming reality.

He then turned to the other blond.

"I'm sorry about him. He doesn't have much of patience. Why don't we stand in line together?" Will asked, looking at the boy as the other people were ordering.

"Fine." The smaller boy said as the two walked to the back of the line.

"So what's your name? My is William, but you can call me Will." The taller blond said.

"My name's Hans Ludwig." The smaller one said.

Now that Will paid more attention, he could hear a German accent in the other's voice.

He found it slightly odd that he had met yet another foreigner in a short amount of time and yet haven't met one years prior.

"So what school do you go too?"

"Zunō."

He got a confused look.

"What?"

"Isn't that a high school though? Shouldn't you still be in middle school?"

Hearing this, Hans' whole face turned bright red and he got a furious look.

It was clear to Will now that Hans' height was a taboo.

"I'm seventeen!"

* * *

><p>"Sorry we took so long. We still had to go through the whole thing with Hans." Will said as he and the smaller blond walked to the table Josh was at.<p>

"I guessing this middle school kid is Hans?"

Hearing this, Will froze and Hans turned red again.

Before the small male could go off, Will spoke up.

"Actually, he's seventeen. He goes to Zunō." Will said as he set the tray down and took his seat across from Josh.

Hans followed suit and sat next to Will.

"Isn't that for super smart people?" Josh asked as he took some fries and put them him his mouth.

"I _am _super smart." Hans said in irritation.

He lifted his hand and some of the fries that Josh had started to float in the air and went towards Hans.

"See? I'm a Level 4 Telekinetic."

It quickly turned into a look of shock when the fries stopped moving and ended up in Josh's hands.

"Will's an Electromaster, Level 4 at that." Josh said as he ate the fries.

"I could have told him that myself."

"But you didn't."

"So what level are _you _then?" Hans asked, smirking at the thought of the other being a lower level.

"Nothing too high. I doubt that I could _ever _compare to someone of your level." Josh said with sarcasm lacing the whole sentence.

For his part, Will just stayed quiet and watched the show.

He had thought of interrupting, but decided against it for it was kind of entertaining to him.

"Well, at least one of you is capable. I don't get how you can deal with someone weaker than you." Hans said, giving Will a sympathetic look.

"Ha ha ha...Yeah..."

Josh just turned his music up and tried to ignore Hans.

'Why do I always have to deal with the most annoying people?' He thought with a sigh.

* * *

><p>"Well, I'll see you later. Bye Will...other." Hans said as he started to leave.<p>

"Bye!"

"Jackass!" Josh called out as he flipped the other off.

Will quickly grabbed his arm and put it down.

The two started to walk in the opposite direction.

"Why didn't you tell him what level you were? I thought you would want everyone to know how strong you are."

"It'd be too irritating to deal with that kind of publicity. Not to mention someone like him would want to probably challenge me and I don't want to deal with that." Josh answered back with a sigh.

"You sigh a lot. What's with that?"

Josh just turned and sighed.

"See!"

"It's cuz everything is so irritating and annoying. I just want to walk around, listen to music or read manga or fanfiction."

"If that's the case, then I'll leave." Will said, looking somewhat dejected.

"I didn't mean that, idiot. I meant when people I don't know are around." Josh said as he punched Will on the arm.

"What the heck? That hurt." The blond said as he rubbed his arm.

"Where's somewhere else we can go? Somewhere interesting that will entertain me." Josh muttered to himself, not paying much attention to the boy in pain next to him.

"How about School Orchard?"

Josh gave the other a questioning look.

"What?"

"And how the hell are we supposed to get in there?" Josh asked, looking at the other like he was stupid.

"Well, my dorm is in the School Orchard. I can get us in easily." Will said casually.

"Oh yeah. You're from one of those smart people schools." Josh muttered to himself. He let out a sigh. "Wait a minute. Isn't that place where all the girl schools are? That place is a total chick world. Men are, without a doubt, rare there. How can your dorm be there?"

Will just blinked, let out a sigh and face-palmed.

"You're talking about School Garden. All your information is right, but for there. School Orchard is basically a boy's version of that. You could say the two are siblings of sorts."

Understanding his mistake, Josh nodded his head with a sigh and scratched his head.

"Lead the way then."

"Right."

**_END CHAPTER_**

**So wha'd ya think? It sucked, didn't it? Oh well. I still hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Remember to r&r (just no flaming please). Until next time, sayonara! - Monkey**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well here is another chapter for whoever is reading this. I don't really have anything else to say.**

**Disclaimer: Own plot, ocs, oc places and other stuff. Don't own actual series**

**Chapter 2: **School Orchard and an Attack

"Here we are. Welcome to the School Orchard." Will said as the two entered the area.

All the buildings we fashioned in an old European style with roads big enough for only two lanes. Even so, there were hardly any cars around and was mostly filled with boys wearing different school uniforms.

"Come on. I'll show you my dorm."

'Man, I would hate to be here for too long. There's no way I would want be around this many guys for even a day.'

"By the way, what's with the style of this place. I figured it would be more... I don't even know."

"Oh. That's because both School Orchard and School Garden were both made in this style. Out of the different styles that they thought of the European one was chosen."

"How the heck do you know that?"

"We learned about it in school."

Josh let out a sigh and just went with it.

As the two continued walking Josh noticed that the people there were staring at him and some were even whispering.

"Hey, why are people staring at us?" He asked after a few minutes of this.

"That's probably because you're not from here. They aren't use to people from outside of School Orchard and will do that quite often." Will said calmly as they continued walking.

* * *

><p>After walking more, they came to a big building that looked more like a high class, two story house rather than a student's dormitory.<p>

"Well here we are. This is my dorm. Come on. Let's go in."

When they got in Josh saw the place was very spacious and had stairs leading upstairs for the rooms and doors in different places that he guessed led to rooms such as the kitchen and dining room.

"Down here is the regular stuff. You know, kitchen, living room and dining room. Upstairs is where all our rooms are."

'So I was right.'

"Come on. I'll show you my room."

'Lucky guy.'

"Hey, I just thought of something."

Josh looked up and look at the other.

"If you're a Level 5 and in high school, why is this your first year here?"

"Oh. Well I use to live in a small little place and I'm not the smartest person around, so I never thought I could get in somewhere like this place." Josh said as they stopped in front of a door. "As for my ability level...I was born with my ability, so I had time to train."

"Born with your ability? Is that even possible?"

"Well I'm living proof of it, so yeah."

"That's true. Well here we are." Will grabbed the knob and turned it.

It was a normal little place with two beds in the middle of the room, a small table between the two, a desk in the far corner, a bookshelf in the other corner, a closet next to the bookshelf and a bathroom across from that.

"Sorry if it seems plain."

"It's fine. What I'm really going to judge is this bed." Josh said as he fell back onto one of the beds and let out a content sigh. "And the blankets are cold. This is great. You and your roommate sure have it made here."

"Oh. I don't have a roommate. It's just me in here." Will said as he sat on the other bed. "It gets kinda lonely, but at least I don't have to worry about privacy or fighting with someone else over something in here."

He got a snort from the other.

"You don't seem like the type to fight over something."

"Hehehe. Ya think."

"Ya mind if I take a nap here?" Josh asked as he closed his eyes and took off his shoes.

"Sure. I have some homework I have to do anyways. Make yourself at home."

Josh just let out a yawn and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Ma~~~n that felt good. I didn't mean to sleep that long, but it was worth it." Josh said as he walked through the streets of School Orchard.<p>

'I'm so glad my school doesn't make us wear a uniform after hours. That would suck. That reminds me. That midget goes to a super smart school too. Wonder if he has a dorm in here too.'

The teen wasn't looking where he was going, turned a corner and ended up colliding with someone.

The someone let out a small sound as they fell to the ground.

"Oh. Sorry 'bout that."

He looked and saw that it was a small boy who looked around three years younger than him and around as tall as Hans.

The kid had black hair and was wearing the same uniform as Will, and proving that he belonged in the area.

"...I am really sorry..." The boy said.

Josh just got up and extended his arm.

The kid gave a confused look. He took the hand and was pulled up to his feet.

"I wasn't really watching where I was going, so it was my fault." The older one said. "So what's a kid like you doing out here? Shouldn't you be at your dorm by now?"

The kid just gave a nod and didn't say a word.

'...Awkward...'

"So...I'll be going then. Try not to get run over by all these dumb people who walk super slow, 'kay?"

With that, the teen took his leave.

'...Dumb...?'

* * *

><p>'Well at least I got a good walk from that.'<p>

Josh continued to walk until he saw his dorm close by.

"What are you doing being out after curfew?"

Letting out a sigh, the teen turned around to see a boy with black hair tied into a ponytail, an unfamiliar school uniform and a band around his right arm.

'That symbol...why me? This guy's gonna be irritating, isn't he?'

Josh let out a sigh.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Kasai Natsu, and I'm a Level 2 Judgment officer. Now answer my question." The officer said as he crossed his arms.

Josh just let out another sigh, turned around and started to walk away.

"Hey! Wait!" Natsu ran to catch up, but Josh didn't seem to want to stop, so the other boy just walked along with him. "Why won't you answer my question?"

"Because you told me too."

Hearings his, Natsu got a dumbstruck look on his face and a tick mark on his forehead.

"If you must know, I was visiting someone in School Orchard and ended up falling asleep at their place. I'm going to my apartment right now."

"Good. Try not to be out after curfew anymore."

This got a questioning look.

"And why not? I can do what I want." Josh said with a bit of a challenging voice.

"I'm not suppose to tell anyone else, but there has been some incidents recently and we wouldn't want a civilian like you to get hurt."

Hearing this, Josh snorted and continued to walk.

He knew that this officer wouldn't know that he was a Level 5, but the way he said the sentence made Josh want to show him that he could clearly take care of himself.

'A little more and I can get rid of this guy.' Josh suddenly stopped as the other boy continued to talk. 'That's odd...' He closed his eyes and tried to focus.

"Hey! Are you listening?" Natsu turned around and saw Josh with his eyes closed. "Hey, are you alright? Hello?" He waved his hand in front of the other's face and continued to call out.

That's when he saw a shadow go over the both of them and looked up to see three light poles coming down towards them.

"What the-!"

As they were about to hit, they were stopped by an invisible wall.

The wall wasn't something like a transparent barrier, but rather a large amount of wind pushing the poles back and stopping the attack from moving.

"That was close. We wouldn't want an innocent _civilian _to get hurt, now would we?" Josh said with a grin.

It then turned into an indifferent look as he looked in a certain direction and glared at a certain spot.

"I know you're there! Come out!"

"Who are you talking too?" Natsu asked as he looked in the same direction.

Josh just sighed and moved his hand slightly.

The poles turned and flew in different directions. The poles slammed into the bridge above them, into the ground and into buildings.

"What are you doing!?"

'They're gone...'

Josh let out a frustrated sigh and scratched his head in irritation.

"Answer me! What were you doing!? You caused damage to the city. As an officer of Judgment, I'll have to take you under custody." Natsu said as he got a pair of handcuffs out.

"I don't have time for this." The American looked over to the other teen. "Natsu, right?" He got a nod. "Keep an eye on any teleporters in the city."

With that, Josh disappeared quickly.

"What the-!? Get back here!"

* * *

><p>"I just wanna talk to someone. That's all."<p>

"I'm sorry, sir. Unless you have a pass you can't get in."

"This is so irritating." Josh said with a sigh.

He was standing in front of the entrance to School Orchard.

After returning to his apartment the day prior, he went to sleep and the next day he went over to talk with Will about what had happened and to ask him some questions.

Before he could do that though, he had to deal with passing through the entrance.

"He's with me. You can let him in."

Josh turned to see Hans standing there and just turned back around a second later.

"I don't know him." He said to the security man, who just sweat-dropped.

"What the hell! I'm trying to help!"

* * *

><p>"So why did you want to come in here?" Hans asked as the two continued to walk.<p>

"I came to see Will. I need to ask him something." Josh said as he turned up the music on his phone.

"Well you can just ask me! I'll know the answer!" Hans said, excitement evident on his face and in his tone.

Josh just gave a skeptical look then sighed.

He knew that Hans went to a prestigious school, so the blond might actually be helpful.

"Fine. I guess. There's actually two things I wanna ask. One being... Who is the best teleporter in the city. The second question is who are all the Level 5 Espers in the city?"

This got a weird look from the other.

Seeing as Hans didn't know that Josh was relatively new to Academy City, he figured the taller one was just dumb and didn't know the answer.

"Well that's easy. The best teleporter is one of the Level 5 Espers in Academy City. His name is Keith Williams, he's a foreigner. He's one of the two Level 5 Espers tied for second place. I don't know who the other Number Two is though." Hans explained as he looked to be in thought.

He then looked up to see Josh with a grin on his face.

"What?"

"You don't know who the other second ranked Level 5 is. Looks like you _don't _know everything, eh." Josh said with a smug look.

Hans just started to turn red.

"Shut up! I don't wanna hear that from someone like you!" The smaller one yelled, getting everyone's attention as things started to float around him.

"Dude, calm down. You're power's getting out of control." Josh said as he tried to calm the other down before stuff started to fly.

After a few minutes of trying, Hans finally calmed down.

"Well I gotta go. I still wanna hang out with Will before I have to deal with school tomorrow."

"Wait! Since you know what my ability is, shouldn't you tell me yours?" Hans asked, giving a questioning look.

"If you're so smart, figure it out. See ya."

With that, Josh was gone.

'A teleporter? Makes sense as to why he was asking then.'

* * *

><p>"U~i~ll~~! Come out and play~~!" Josh said through the speaker.<p>

"_Can't. I have homework I didn't do yesterday. Maybe later._" The blond answered back.

"Your school sucks! Why do they give homework on the weekend?" Josh asked as he crossed his arms.

"_You're school doesn't? We even get it on vacation._" Will said back through the speaker.

"We do. I just choose not to do it. It's too irritating." Josh said with a sigh.

"_...You should probably do that..."_

After a few seconds, Josh let out another sigh.

"_Fine. Just...Wait awhile and I'll be done._

"Fine. You suck, jackass!" Josh said as he let go of the speaker button.

"_Just busy yourself for awhile. I'll be done in an hour or so._"

Josh just let out a sigh and mumbled something.

"_And stop with your sighing._"

'How did he...!? Whatever.'

The teen put in his other earbud in and walked out of the building.

'So what can I do in the meantime?'

He was gone in an instant and didn't notice the pair of eyes that were watching him.

* * *

><p>'Man, I'm bored. There's nothin' for me to do. There's no way I'm gonna try and find that midget either.'<p>

Josh walked through an alleyway and didn't notice that he was being followed.

"Hey, you! Give me all your money!"

Josh turned around to see a bulky guy with a knife in his hand and a couple of other guys behind him.

The teen just pointed at himself and tilted his head to the side.

"Yes you! You some kind of idiot!?"

"Yes." Josh said with an even face and tone.

The guys just stared at him with almost unbelieving looks.

"Well...You should listen to us and give us your money!" The guy said as he took a step closer.

"Why?"

"Well...Because we said so!"

The teen just gave a bored look.

He figured that these people were both really stupid and really smart at the same time for the fact that they didn't seem to be from School Orchard, yet somehow got in.

"Look, kid! You don't stand a chance against us! My boys here are all Level 2 and I'm a Level 3! Now just give us your money and we _might _not hurt you so badly!" The guy in front said as the others behind him snickered.

Josh just let out a sigh, put his other earbud in, turned around and started to walk away.

"Hey! Don't walk away from us!" The man ran towards Josh, but was shocked when the other was gone. "What?"

He heard a sigh and looked behind him to see Josh behind him.

"You just won't give up, huh? I guess I'll have to deal with you irritations." Josh said as he took one earbud out. "That is..."

The man went wide eyed as he fell to the ground.

Josh turned to the others and gave them a look that scared them frozen.

"If I didn't already beat you."

They all fell to the ground with thuds.

Josh just sighed, turned around and started to walk away.

'Shit, those manga are messin' with my head. I should really stop trying to act cool. Whatever.'

Just as he left the alleyway, a person shadowed by the walls walked up to the leader, bent down and sighed.

"You lot were really useless." The man said before they all disappeared.

* * *

><p>"So you finally done?" Josh asked as he walked into Will's room.<p>

"Yeah. I have a question though." Will said with a contemplating look.

"Sure. What?"

"What _exactly _can you do? I know you can manipulate the wind, but there has to be more...right?"

Josh just let out a sigh and laid down on one of the beds.

"It's too much if an irritation to tell you. All I'll say is that it has more to do with air than it does wind."

Its true that he didn't like explains everything about his powers, but it was more for the fact that he didn't want people going around and countering it.

Will just nodded his head, knowing the other say much more. he wanted to hear more, but decided not to continue for the fact that the other's patience was low.

"Now, let's get going!"

"Where?"

"I don't know!"

Will just sighed, but followed.

**_END CHAPTER_**

**And there ya go. These first three chapters are what I like to call the Introduction Arc. After this is over we get more fights, so look forward to that. Remember to R&R (no flames though)! Until whenever, sayonara! - Monkey**


	3. Chapter 3

**Number 3! Yahoo!... Not like many people read this though...Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Look at last two chapters**

**Chapter 3:** First Job and Siblings

"I don't wanna! Why do I have too!?"

"Because you said you need the money and want to help out!"

"But can't you do this by yourself!?"

The scene that is playing out currently is Josh being dragged by Will with the former complaining.

You may be wondering how this scene came to be. Well...

_"Welcome. I'm glad you came. But I thought you said it was just one person." A man said from behind a desk as he gave a questioning look to Josh and Will, who just entered._

_"Yes, well, my friend here wanted to see if he could help out." Will said with a sheepish look. "I hope it's not a problem."_

_"No. Not at all. In fact, it would be great if he could help too." The man said with a small glint in his eyes._

_This went unnoticed by the Electromaster, but not the Aerokinetic._

_"So what _is _the job?" Josh asked as he took his other earbud out and put his hands in his pocket._

_Now he was a little suspicious of this job since the man himself seemed somewhat shady._

_true he could take care of himself just fine, but he still didn't want to go through the trouble of fighting and actually defending himself._

_"Oh. Well it's just simple night guard duty at a local pizzeria. We just need you there from midnight to six." The guy said as he handed Will a piece of paper._

_Josh leaned over and looked too._

_"Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria?"_

'I was fine that it was at night, but...I don't think I can deal with a place that has animatronics from who knows when.'

Josh had given up and just let himself be dragged along.

"We're here."

Josh looked up to see the building that looked ancient compared to the high-tech buildings of Academy City. Heck even the cleaning robots around the whole city looked more advance than the rundown place they were facing.

He felt a shiver run down his spine as he took a look around and saw that there was no one around, no cars, a dead tree here and there and somehow some fog rolling in.

"P-p-please tell me someone left a fog machine on... No need to be scared. If something comes within range I'll be able to tell...I hope..." Josh muttered nervously as he took his other earbud out and slowly walked along with the blond.

"I hope they have uniforms." Will suddenly said, getting a deadpan from the other.

* * *

><p>"Hehehe. They really did have uniforms." Will said as he and Josh got into the surveillance room.<p>

There was a desk, some stuff on it, cameras above that and two metal doors on either side of the room with light switches to look into the hallway.

'Okay...This place is officially creepy.'

Josh shrunk back a little and let out a sigh.

He looked over and saw Will looking over himself.

The blond had on a blue uniform with a jacket, pants and a blue cap. Josh had on his usual clothes and the security cap.

'How can he be fine?'

"Hey, how did you even get permission for this job?"

"That was easy. The dorm manager is really nice and laid back. It was no problem at all."

"Hm. I thought he would be strict or something."

"Well it's almost midnight. You ready?" Will asked as he looked at his friend.

Josh sighed and gave a small nod.

As the clock turned to twelve, the phone rang, causing Josh jump and Will to chuckle.

A message went on and by the time it was done Josh looked ready to run out of the room, but stayed stationary.

"Will..."

"Yes?"

"I'm going to kill you." Josh said nervously as he looked from the right door to the left.

"Don't worry. It's probably a prank the last guy set up. Even if that were true, we don't have anything to worry about. If we run out of power than I'll just charge it all back up." Will said as he sat in the only chair in the room and relaxed. "Easy money."

"...I guess...But just for added measures..." Josh looked at the cameras and saw that all the animatronics were in the right places. He let out a sigh of relief and chuckled a little.

'Maybe I really am getting scared over nothing.'

He thought as he looked at the cameras again. When he saw the main hall he jumped back and pointed to the screen.

"O-o-one of them is gone!"

"Don't be so daft, they can't."

But they could, and they did.

Will didn't notice because he couldn't see them move from the monitors, but Josh just needed the small amount of wind they made when they moved.

"The yellow chicken that was there is gone!" Josh ran back to the camera and looked through the different rooms to see the chicken in the dinning hall. "There it is!" He exclaimed as he pointed at the screen.

"Oh. Guess you're right." Will said nonchalantly as he looked at the screen.

"How can you be fine with this!?"

The blond just shrugged like he didn't care.

'Damn Electromatsers and their electrical immunity.'

"It's fine. If they get too close then we'll just close the doors." Will said casually.

Josh gave a skeptical look and turned back to the screen.

"Alright...But just to keep track of them..." He lifted his fingers and two streams of wind went out of the room.

Will saw one of them in the hall the chicken was at.

"Whoa! That's cool. What are you doing?" Will asked, still looking at the screen.

"I'm using the wind to feel around and tell if one or more is moving." Josh said with his eyes closed.

"Okay. If it makes you feel better."

* * *

><p>"That damn bunny..." Josh said as he held his chest.<p>

Behind him Will was trying, and failing, to hold in his laughs.

"Shut up, jackass! That damn bunny won't leave!" He exclaimed with a small blush of embarrassment.

"Okay. Okay. I'm sorry. But this is kinda fun. It keeps us on our toes. And think, this is only our first night." Will said happily as he opened the door. He looked at the cameras again and that's when they all turned off along with the lights.

"Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap! They're coming! What are we gonna do!?" Josh exclaimed as he started to sweat.

"That's easy." Will walked up to the doors and some electricity came off his hand.

The two doors closed right away and the two heard three loud bangs.

Will let out a laugh and went to the other stuff and charged them up as well.

"See? All better." He said with a smile.

Josh just let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and slumped to the floor.

"I find it funny that one of the strongest Espers in the city is afraid of some robots."

Josh just glared at him from the floor.

He didn't want to admit that he was afraid, but he also knew that he didn't need to admit it with the way things are.

"...Jackass..."

* * *

><p>After the first night, the two continued to go work at the pizzeria, one more reluctantly than the other, and didn't have any problems.<p>

They had figured out that as the nights progressed, the animatronics became more active and started to move around more and faster.

Josh was scared the whole time while Will was just glad that the people let him keep the outfit.

"Why do I keep coming here!?" Josh muttered as he held onto Will's sleeve and looked around frantically.

"I wonder who'll try this time? I hope it's Foxy. He can give a _run_ for our money." Will said with a small laugh at his pun.

Josh just sighed at the blond's stupidity.

'Even if it's not them...I feel like we're being followed.'

Josh looked around again, but found nothing.

"Hey...Do you get the feeling that we're being followed?"

"Hm? You're still on that? It's fine. We have a Level 4 and Level 5 with us, so we'll be fine." Will said casually as he walked through the parking lot.

They got inside and went for Will to get changed while Josh just put his cap on.

Josh had figured out that Will mostly liked the uniform because it was blue and at other times just because he looked more professional.

"So we start in five minutes."

That's when they heard the sound of footsteps.

"What was that?"

The two walked towards the sound and got ready to attack.

"Wh-who's there...?" Josh asked as wind started to swirl around his arm.

"You liar! You said that your ability was teleportation!"

"Hans?"

The small blond came through the door with another boy coming in after him.

Josh immediately recognized the kid as the one had had bumped into the first time he went to School Orchard.

"Hey, your the kid I met before!" Josh said, pointing to the boy.

The kid just nodded his head.

Will examined the boy and saw that he had black hair and brown eyes.

"This kid is in my class." Will suddenly said, getting a shocked look from Josh.

"Really?"

The blond gave a nod.

"Hey! Don't ignore me! You lied to me!" Hans exclaimed, pointing to Josh.

"What are you talking about? I didn't lie to you." The taller one said with a confused look.

"Yeah you did! You said you were a teleporter! How can you use wind!?"

This got a questions look from both taller teens.

"I never said what my ability was." Josh said, giving a skeptical look.

"But you disappeared after asking me those questions." Hans said, getting confused.

Josh just let out a sigh and shook his head.

"That was a form of Wind Manipulation. I used the wind to push myself and move at higher speeds." Josh said with a grin. "There's another thing you didn't know."

"Why you..."

Before he could continue, Josh turned his attention to the other blond.

"Hey!"

"I told you someone was following us!" He said, glaring at the blond.

"Hehe. Sorry."

Josh just sighed again and diverted his attention again.

"So what's your name?" He asked, turning to the boy.

"...Takeshi." The boy said, looking down.

"So why are you two even here? Why were you following us?" Will asked.

Josh nodded his head, also wanting to know the answer.

"I saw you two walking after curfew tons of times, so I thought you two were secretly dating or something. I just wanted to know what's going on." Hans said with a shrug.

The other two went red after hearing this.

Will chuckled at this and Josh looked ready to hit the small blond.

"I don't know about this kid though." Hans said, pointing to Takeshi.

"Well...I just...happen to see them and...decided to follow..." The boy said, shifting nervously around and looking down.

"So what _are _you two doing here?"

"Oh. Well we got a job-" Will stopped his explanation as both he and Josh froze in place.

"What?"

"What time is it?" The two asked.

"Three past midnight." Hans said, looking at his phone.

That's when they all heard a jingle start to play and three pairs of eyes flashing in the doorway.

"Takeshi...Get behind us." Will said as he and a nervous Josh walked up. "Hans, stay with him."

"What's going on? What are those things?" Hans asked, looking scared himself.

"We'll explain later. So I'm guessing Foxy isn't with them." The blond said, glancing a Josh.

"It's probably because part of his endoskeleton is showing." Josh said as wind gathered around his arm.

The jingle ended and everything went quiet.

'3...2...1!'

"GYAHHHH!"

Three animatronics rushed at the group, but were quickly destroyed by two slashes of wind and a strong electrical current.

The only one that wasn't completely destroyed was the bear.

It tried to attack again, but ended up with multiple holes in it and electricity coming off of it. That's when they saw something on the robots.

"What's this? Oil?" Will walked up to the bear and touched the liquid. "It's dried up blood!" He said with wide eyes.

The other three also went wide eyed, but didn't say anything.

That's when they heard rapid footsteps and Will sent a strong electric current through the hallway. They heard a screeching yell and all went silent.

Hans found the hallway switch, the lights turned on and they saw the fox animatronic on the flood.

Will walked up to that one, opened it up and saw that there was dried up blood in it too.

"What's going on?"

"What's that?"

They all turned to see a figure sitting in the wall in a slouched position. When they got a better look, they saw it was another suit.

"Shouldn't there only be four?" Josh asked, looking at Will, getting a nod.

The two got ready to destroy this one.

'_Stop.'_

The two froze and got confused looked from the other two.

"What are you two doing? Why'd you freeze up?" Hans asked.

"No way... How can a suit have Esper powers?" Will questioned as he and Josh tried to move, but couldn't.

"I don't know...But why aren't those two effected?" Josh asked, talking about Hans and Takeshi.

"Probably because I'm a telekinetic so stuff dealing with the mind don't work on me. It has to do with the AIM diffusion field around me."

"But telepathic manipulation doesn't work with my EM barrier either."

Takeshi just looked down and didn't say a word.

"Hans...Go back in the room and get the tank that's in the corner." Josh said with a grin on his face.

That's when the other four animatronics started to stand up.

"Well crap...Hurry up, midget!"

"I'm coming!" Hans had his hands up with the tank in the air. "Now what?"

"Slam it on the ground. Hard."

This got confused looks.

"Now! These things are gonna kill us!"

Doing as he was told, Hans smashed the tank on the ground and it let out some gas from it.

"Will, we need a spark!"

"You're crazy!"

"Let's burn this bitch to the ground."

Will didn't say a word and let out a large amount of electricity.

As the robots were about to attack, a small spark came to be and in an instant the whole building exploded.

As the fire continued, a gust of wind blew away the smoke that started to gather again.

"You _are_ crazy!"

"You should be thanking me! I just saved your ass!" Josh yelled as he blew more of the smoke away.

"Just calm down you two. We're safe and that's all that matters." Will said as he sat on the ground. "Well there goes our first job."

Josh froze and both let out sighs.

'How are we going to explain this to the boss?'

* * *

><p>"Well...As long as you are safe...It's fine..." A chubby guy with a balding head said as he looked at Will and Josh. "You'll get all your payment, but...Could you two keep this a secret? We wouldn't want Anti-skill to get involved."<p>

"Yes, sir."

"Sure thing."

The two were exhausted and drained.

Not only did they have to deal with the burning building, but also had to get away before Anti-Skill and Judgement made it onto the scene.

"Um, sir. I have a question." Will said as he raised his hand.

"Hm? Yes?"

"We were told that there would only be four animatronics. Where did the golden bear come from?" The blond asked, looking as confused as his friend.

"Yeah! The hell was up with that?"

"Golden bear? I have no idea what you're talking about."

The two teens quickly looked at each other with skeptical looks.

"Um...Sir...What's the story behind that building?"

"Yeah. I saw some clippings from a newspaper in one of the rooms and saw some weird stuff on it." Josh asked as he took his other earbud out.

The man went on to explain everything that happened in the building and all the clippings.

"Thank you for that. And don't worry, we'll keep this a secret." Will said as he and Josh left the room.

The two left without a word.

* * *

><p>"..."<p>

"..."

"WHY THE HELL DID WE CONTINUE TO WORK THERE!" Both of them yelled when they were a good distance away from the man's office.

"There were frickin' murders there!" Josh yelled.

"I know! Then there was the bite! There's no way the kid survived that crap!" Will exclaimed.

Neither of them paid attention to the weird looks they got.

"And what the hell was with that golden bear!?" They both yelled. "I'm never going to a place like that again!"

They both let out a sigh and let their bodies sag.

"Looks like we need a new job." Will said as the two dragged their feet.

"Fine. Just nothing with a creepy atmosphere, killer animatronics and nothing involving that midget." Josh said as he out one earbud in.

"Deal."

* * *

><p>It had been a week since the incident with the pizzeria.<p>

We now find Josh walking to school with both earbuds in.

'Man this sucks. School is so boring. The only people I even slightly talk to is Aki and Shinji. Then there's that Natsu kid who won't leave me alone whenever he sees me. And let's not forget about that jackass Hans.'

He let out a sigh and started to walk faster as he turned up his music.

'There are too many slow people here for my liking.'

He let out another sigh and looked up to see a person who had the same color hair as him and a head taller.

He got a smirk on his lips and quietly walked up to the other guy and his friends.

"Hey, Gordo!"

"What do you want?" The other male said.

"What? I can't just come and say hi to my big brother?" Josh asked with a grin.

"No. Now what do you want?"

"You're a jackass, ya know. My school is in this direction too, fatty." Josh said casually. "So you going to work?"

"Yeah. You want some chocolates?" The taller one asked.

"Sure."

"Oh yeah, Dana is coming here."

Josh got a sour look.

"Why? Wasn't she going to stay in Mexico for a couple of years?" The younger one asked.

"Yeah, but I guess the parents said that she should come here with us." The older one said, making Josh sigh. "Apparently she already has a job and a boyfriend."

"Hey, John's little brother."

Josh got an irritated look on his face and out his other earbud in.

"Well I'm going to be leaving now." The younger one said as he started to walk away. 'His friends are too dumb for me to be around.'

"What the heck was the point of coming over here?"

"See ya, Johnson!"

* * *

><p>"School is so boring. The only thing that really happened today was that I saw that fatty." Josh said as he laid on one of the beds in Will's room.<p>

"Fatty?"

"Someone you don't need to know about." The other said with a sigh.

"Okay. So, you never told me what your rank is as a Level 5." Will said as he turned to Josh.

"Oh yeah. Well after I got done, the people there said that I was stronger than the third ranked, but weaker than the first ranked. They decided to put me as the second #2." Josh said with a sigh. "It really sucks. I don't really want to share a title with someone, but I doubt that person wants to share too."

"Oh. That sounds kinda complicated. I'm glad I don't have to deal with something like that."

Josh just let out another sigh at hearing the small amount of disdain again.

It was another time where he could distinguish it clearly from the blond, but still couldn't tell with other people.

"Hey, why don't we invite Takeshi or Hans over?" Will suddenly asked, getting a questioning look from the other.

"Well Hans is a loser and I don't know about Takeshi." Josh said as he closed his eyes again.

"Still..."

"Hey...I just thought of something."

This got a questioning look from the other.

"Since you and Takeshi are in the same class, which I don't get how, shouldn't he be living in the dorm?"

"Well there is that possibility, but this school has two different dorms. One is here, in School Orchard, and the other is outside of here. He might be here, or in the other one."

Josh just let out a sigh, stood up and stretched.

"Well if that's the case. Let's ask your dorm manager if he's here. If he's not then we can just go to the other one." Josh said as he walked towards the door with a sigh. "I just hope it doesn't take too long. I'm getting kinda hungry."

* * *

><p>"Well looks we have some walking to do." Josh said as he and Will left the dorm. "Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask. How are the both of you in the same class? Isn't he around three years younger than us? Or are you younger than me?"<p>

"It's because he's smart enough to be there. I've seem his grades before and he's definitely smart enough." Will said as they walked though the main plaza.

"Will! Idiot!"

Hearing a familiar voice, Josh let out a long sigh while Will just turned and waved back.

"So what are you two doing now? Please tell me you two aren't really dating this time!" Hans said with a shocked expression.

"Idiot!" Josh slammed his fist onto the smaller boy's skull.

"He he he. No. We were going to look for Takeshi." Will said, showing sympathy for his fellow blond.

"Oh. Can I come with you? I've got nothing better to do."

"I think it's just cuz you don't feel as short compared to a kid." Josh said with a grin.

Hans just went red again and started chasing the other.

'These two...'

Will let out a sigh. He then shot up and covered his mouth.

'He's starting to get me to do that now!'

* * *

><p>"Why are you following us?" Josh asked with a sigh as Hans continued to talk about how great he was.<p>

"So you can get a feel of how strong I am, of course." Hans said as he puffed out his chest.

"Still lying about how _great _you are?"

Hans froze and the other two turned around to see a ginger haired girl with the same eyes as Hans.

She looked to be two years younger with freckles on her face.

"You know you're not that great. The great ones are the Level 5 Espers of Academy City! Ah! What I wouldn't give to meet one!" The girl said with a dreamy look.

Josh backed away a little and Will gave a nervous smile.

"Hans...Do you know this girl?" Will asked, looking at the other blond.

"Unfortunately." The other one said with a sigh.

"Hey, that's my thing." Josh said suddenly.

Hans and Will gave him questioning looks.

"So how do you two know each other?" Will asked, forgetting what his friend had said.

"She's my-"

"I'm his wonderful, great, terrific, extraordinary, beautiful-"

"Loud mouthed, foul mouthed, hyperactive, naive, stupid younger sister." Hans finished, getting a hit on the arm from said girl. "What do you want, Kendel?"

"Nothing to do with you. I saw the back of his head and thought that he was one of the Level 5 Espers." She said, pointing to Josh.

"Me?"

Both he and Will started to sweat a little.

One from worry about having to deal with a crazy fangirl and the second because he was worried about the damage that may occur.

"Yeah, but never mind that thought. You clearly can't be one. A Level 5 Esper would be handsome, strong looking, fashionable, intelligent and most of all, not look like a hobo who really needs a haircut."

Josh went into the fetal position while Will gave a nervous laugh.

"But I like this sweater...I like my hair long...Hobo..." These are only some of the things Josh was muttering while a Will tried to cheer him up.

"Hey! He may be all those things, and definitely more stupid than you think, but you still shouldn't say that stuff about him! I know for a fact that he's really strong and he cares about his friends!" Hans said sternly.

Meanwhile Josh was going through different stages. He went from being more depressed to slightly shocked to being frozen in place.

"Whatever. If you find one of the Level 5 Espers then give me a call." Kendel said as she walked away. "Bye loser. Bye his loser friends."

"I'm not his friend!" Josh yelled back as he flipped her off.

'That's all he care about?'

Will put Josh's hand down before a misunderstanding happened.

"Well we should go, huh? We still need to see Takeshi." Will said as the three walked away.

* * *

><p>"Well that sucks." Josh sighed as the three left the second dorm building.<p>

"Well there's not much we can do. If he's out then he's out." Will said as Josh just looked at his phone.

"I'm getting kinda hungry. You wanna get something to eat?" Hans asked as his stomach growled.

"Sure. We have been walking around for awhile now. Might as well feed our stomachs." Will said as the three walked into a small fast food place.

"Guero!" The cashier exclaimed as Josh lowered his head and put his hood on.

Will and Hans looked from the cashier to Josh then back to the cashier.

The cashier was a short, chubby woman with black hair and a work uniform.

"Shut up. You're so irritating!" Josh whisper-yelled as the three got to the counter.

"Um...Josh...Do you know her?" Will asked, not sure what to make of the scene.

"Yeah. She's my step-sister. Her name is Dana and she's a Level 2 Telepath." Josh said with a heavy sigh.

"So where's Gordo? I haven't seen him yet."

"He's at work. Now can we order? I don't want there to be a line." Josh said as the other three saw more people behind them.

"Sure. What do you want?"

* * *

><p>"She doesn't seem so bad." Will said as the three sat down at one of the tables with two trays filled with food.<p>

"That's cuz you don't know her like I do. She's really annoying and thinks that she's the best." Josh said as he started eating his food and looking at his phone.

"Who's that 'Gordo' person she was talking about? That's a weird name." Hans said with a thoughtful expression.

He looked at the other and saw that Josh had a smirk.

"Shut up! I'm still smarter than you!"

"He's my biological big brother and her other step-brother. His real name is Johnson, but we call him Gordo cuz it mean 'fat' is Spanish." Josh said with a small laugh while the other two just didn't know what to say.

"Is he an Esper too?"

"Yeah, but I can't remember what his ability is. He's a Level 3, by the way." Josh said lazily as he looked out the window.

That's when he saw Takeshi walking past the window, quickly got up and was out the door.

The other two gave each other shocked and questioning looks.

After seeing Josh walk back inside with Takeshi at his side, they understood why the other rushed out.

Josh took his same spot while Takeshi sat next to him and the others offering their food, but were kindly denied.

"So Takeshi, how do you like your dorm? Is it different from mine?" Will asked kindly.

The kid just looked down and said nothing.

The other three felt awkward.

"Do you have a roommate?"

The younger one shook his head.

"Do you like it there?"

He didn't get an answer.

"Do you...feel lonely?"

Now the blond was just trying to find something to get the boy to talk.

He didn't get an answer, but he did get a reaction. Takeshi shrunk a little and continued to look down.

"I have an idea."

All heads turned to Josh.

"Since Will doesn't have a roommate, and you don't have one either, why don't you two become roommates? You're both in the same class, so that's even more helpful."

Will brightened up at this.

"Yeah! Great idea!"

They saw that Takeshi didn't look too sure.

"It'll be fine. Will is cool, kind and isn't a smartass, like _someone _I know." Josh said, giving a quick look towards Hans.

"What!? You're a dumbass! Dumbass!" Hans yelled as stuff started to float in the air again.

"Okay, okay. Calm down now." Will said as he tried to stop an oncoming fight between the two. He then turned to Takeshi. "So what do you say? I'll even let you pick which bed you want."

After a few seconds, Takeshi gave a sight nod.

"Great. Just leave the paperwork to me."

"Well now I don't have to worry about you two after the last incident." Josh muttered.

"What was that?" Will asked, not hearing the other.

"Nothing in particular."

**_END CHAPTER_**

**And there ya go. Hope you enjoyed. Remember to R&R (No flames). Amv. Sayonara.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Short chapter, but that's only because I didn't know how to start this "arc". Next few should be longer. Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Chapters before**

**Chapter 4: **Judgment

'It's too much work to help Takeshi move in, but I guess I do feel better knowing he and Will won't be so lonely.'

Josh was currently walking to his dorm in the night with a plastic bag in hand.

"What are you doing past curfew again?"

Josh sighed and turned around to see Natsu standing there.

Every time Josh had been out past curfew Natsu had been there to try and lecture him. It never worked though. Josh had learned at Natsu had nigh patrol most of the time and his area was always the same.

"What do you want? I was on my way home." The taller teen said as he slouched and gave the other a bored look.

"I'm on night patrol. Now what are _you _doing past curfew _again_?" Natsu asked, making Josh sigh again. "Stop with that damn sighing!"

He just received another sigh and got a frustrated look on his face.

"I was visiting someone and then stopped at a small store for something to eat." The high ranked Esper said as he lifted his bag.

Natsu gave a skeptical look, but let it go.

"Fine, just be back to your dorm before curfew next time or I won't be so kind." Josh just rolled his eyes and turned around to walk away when he heard a thud.

He turned back around to see Natsu on the ground.

"H-hey! What the hell just happened!?"

He closed his eyes and after a few second opened them.

'It wasn't an attack.'

He walked up to the fallen boy, flipped him over and saw scraps and bruises on his arms and neck. He sigh, picked up the boy and started to walk away.

'Why do I have to be nice?'

* * *

><p>"Urg. Where am I?" Natsu questioned as he opened his eyes and looked around.<p>

He saw a small living room with a TV, a small table and a kitchen attached to the small hall from the living room to the front door. He could also see another hall leading to a bathroom.

He looked over to where light was hitting his skin and saw Josh asleep on an recliner with a small blanket on him.

'What the heck?'

He sat up and saw that another blanket fell from the top half of his body and he had bandages around his arms, legs and neck.

He then went to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. After waking himself up more so then he was, he went to the living room, got the blanket that was on him and placed it on the sleeping teen.

"Stupid. Judgment officers are suppose to take care of civilians, not the other way around."

* * *

><p>"Where is he? We were going to train today." Will said as he stood in an open school field with Hans and Takeshi.<p>

"That idiot is probably asleep right now. He's so lazy. No wonder he's such a low level." Hans said as he crossed his arms.

'If only he knew...'

"What are you three doing? This is school property. You can't be here."

The three turned to see a girl with brown hair and a Judgment armband around her right forearm.

"Oh. Our friend goes to this school and we were going to use it to practice with our abilities. We are just waiting for him." Will said as the girl walked up to them.

"Okay. My name is Haisha Meiwakuna."

The three just stared at her and blinked a few times.

To get rid of the silence, Will coughed into his hand and gave a smile.

"My name is William Jones. It's nice to meet you." The blond said happily.

"I'm Hans Ludwig. The brains of our group." Hans said, getting a sigh from Will.

"...Takeshi..."

"So you two are foreigners?" Meiwakuna asked, pointing at the two blonds.

They nodded their heads.

"I'm American and Hans is German." Will said as he pointed to himself then the other blond.

"I'm not sorry I'm late." Josh said as he suddenly appeared next to Will.

"I figured." The blond sighed out.

"Took you long enough! What were you doing, stuffing your face?" Hans exclaimed before getting a bump on his head thanks to Josh.

"No. I had to take care of some Judgment officer last night and didn't get much sleep." Josh said as he saw the only female there.

"A Judgment officer? What was their name?" Meiwakuna asked.

Josh just let out a sigh.

"His name is Natsu. He has black hair in a ponytail and for some reason likes to annoy me when I'm past curfew and on my way home." Josh said as he looked at his phone. "Who are you anyways? His partner or something?"

The girl went bright red and looked flustered.

"W-w-w-what are you t-talking ab-b-bout? What would g-give you that idea?" She said with a nervous laugh.

Josh just gave her a dull look and pointed to her armband.

"You're both with Judgment. I thought they worked in teams or something." The taller teen said with a yawn. "If I'm misinformed, blame this kid." He added, pointing to Hans.

"What!? Why me!? It's your fault for being so dumb!" The blond exclaimed with a tick mark on his forehead.

"If you're _so smart, _you should have told me sooner." The other said, rolling his eyes.

They heard a cough and turned to the only female there.

"Well thanks for the information and thank you for taking care of him." Meiwakuna said in a professional tone.

She turned around and started to walk away without another word.

"Hope you find him, Haisha!" Will called out.

Josh just raised his eyebrow at this.

"Thanks. And just call me Mei! See ya guys later!" She called back before leaving the area.

"So what do you guys say to training?" Will asked as he turned and saw the look Josh was giving him. "What?"

Josh just shook his head and sighed.

"Nothin' let's just get to training."

* * *

><p>"So I met that guy you were talking about?" Mei said as she and Natsu sat in an office.<p>

"Hm? Which one?"

"The guy that's been past his curfew. I met him a little while ago. He seems like the type to stay past curfew." The female said.

"Oh..._Him. _He's really annoying with all of his signing. Plus, he never listens to me when I tell him to do something! I'm a Judgment officer! He should listen to me! Also! He treats _me _like I'm a _civilian_! He's the civilian here, not me!" Natsu exclaimed loudly with multiple hand movements.

"Hm. Seems like you've taken a liking to him and vice versa." Mei said with a small giggle and a blush.

"HELL NO! I hate that guy!" He turned to his friend and saw she had a dreamy look. 'Oh..._That's _why she said it...' He then went wide eyed. "WAIT! That means your picturing...!" Natsu grabbed Mei by the shoulders and started shaking her like crazy. "Snap out of it woman!"

* * *

><p>"What the...?"<p>

"What's wrong?" Will asked as he turned to Josh.

The four were currently walking towards School Orchard.

After practicing with their abilities for a bit they had decided to go and hang out together. It was getting late now and three of the four need to get to the all boys area soon.

"I just felt a shiver run down my spine." The other one said as he took a quick look at their surroundings.

"Weirdo."

"You're one to talk, midget. Anyways, I'm gonna head back. I don't feel like dealing with that idiotic Judgment guy again. See ya." Josh said as he started walking away.

"Bye." The two blonds called back.

Josh put in his earbud as he continued to walk away.

'I hope I don't have to see that guy again for awhile. He didn't even thank me...Bastard.'

"Hey! Give that back!"

"Hahaha! Judgment is so weak! Can't even get an armband back!"

Josh let out a sigh and went into the alley and saw Natsu jumping around and trying to get his armband as three guys passed it around.

"You're so irritating. Don't you know bullying is old school."

The four in the alley turned to see Josh walking towards them.

"You..."

"Even if he is annoying and won't let 'regular' people help, he's still an officer of Judgment. If you don't stop..." The three guys backed up when Josh gave them a dark look. "I'll have to get involved."

After a few seconds, the guy in the middle clicked his tongue.

"Wh-whatever. He's just a loser anyways! Let's go." The the middle guy said as he started to quickly walk away with the other two behind him.

Josh let out a sigh, let his body sag and walked towards the other.

"You okay?" Josh stuck his arm out, but Natsu just ignored him and started to walk away. "Jackass. I help and this is what I get?"

"I can take care of myself. Like you said, I'm an officer if Judgment. I don't need you to help me. Got it."

Josh went a little wide eyed at this, but said nothing.

Natsu just left, leaving the other alone.

After a few seconds, Josh just clicked his tongue and walked away.

**_END CHAPTER_**

**Well there ya go. Until next time, sayonara!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's the chapter for you guys hope you enjoy. We even get a new character (two actually). Now let's start!**

**Disclaimer: Previous chapters**

**Chapter 5:** Unwanted Help

'That jackass. Fine. If he doesn't want my help then I won't give it to him.' Josh thought as he furiously walked back to his dorm.

"Excuse me."

'Damn idiot. I'm just trying to help.'

The high level Esper didn't notice someone was right next to him.

"Excuse me!"

'He should feel _honored _that I want to help him! Who does he think he-"

"Excuse me!"

Josh jumped when someone tapped him on the shoulder and spoke really loudly near his ear.

He was somewhat embarrassed since he didn't even sense the person coming close to him via the small wind she was making trying to keep up with his fast walking pace.

"What the heck!" Josh jumped back and turned around to see a light brown haired girl looking at him. "Who are you?"

"My name is Chie Kei. Nice to meet you." The girl said with a smile.

"Yeah. Same. Not to sound rude, but what do you want?" Josh asked with a raised eyebrow.

He obviously didn't know this girl and was still irritated with a certain Judgement officer to want to deal with other people. It's not like he didn't like this person, it's just that she was a complete stranger, so he had no reason to talk to her.

"Oh. Well I need help. I'm lost." The brunette said with a sheepish look. "I'm looking for this dorm." She said as she pulled out a map and showed the spot to the other.

Josh looked at it and saw that it was the same dorm he was living at.

"Just follow me. That's the same dorm I'm living in." Josh said as he continued walking.

Not wanting to be left behind, the brunette walked next to him.

"So are you an Esper?"

"Yeah. I'm a Level 3 and can manipulate the forms of water."

This got a questioning look from the other.

He's heard of different types of water and ice control, but this one was a new ability to him. He himself could gather the water in the air, but couldn't really control the water itself. Heck, even lowering the temperature while maintaining the form of the water took of extra calculation. Once the ice was made though he would have no problem.

"Haven't heard about that one before. Sounds cool." Josh said as he looked at his phone.

"So what can you do?" Kei asked as she looked around the city.

"I am an Aerokinetic. Stuff like controlling stuff in the atmosphere like molecules and the like. I'm not that high a level though."

For her part, Kei just gave an amused grin.

She had heard rumors of a high level air user and had wanted to meet this person. She had to admit that he was a good liar though. She was almost fooled herself.

"Really? Cause you look like how one of the Level 5s looks."

Hearing this, Josh froze and looked at her.

He didn't know that people even figured out that that one of the two #2s uses air manipulation. He had only told Will and he figured that Aki had figured it out, but even the other students in his Esper class didn't even know.

"There's a discription of me?" He said, looking nervously around.

"Not really. But thanks for clarifying your level for me." Kei said as she laughed while walking.

"What!? That was messed up!" Josh exclaimed as he caught up to her.

"Well actually there is a vague discription about you. People say that this person usually has earphones in, sighs a lot, and looks bored almost wherever he goes. They've come to just calling him The Sighing Esper. No one is really sure if he is really a Level 5, but they enjoy exaggerating and just say he is. Now I know it's true."

Josh just let out a long, tired sigh.

"And there's more proof."

"Well this sucks." He quickened his pace and turned up his music. "Hurry up. I don't want to deal with people."

* * *

><p>"Ma~~~n. I don't wanna go. The people there are so irritating and the classes are boring." Josh said with a sigh as he locked his door.<p>

"It won't be that bad. Just ignore the irritating people."

The Level Five jumped when he heard a voice from next to him. He turned and saw Kei standing with a smile. The two started to walk towards their school with one half listening to the other.

"Oh yeah. I forgot you're right next door." The male said with a sigh.

"Wow. You really _do _sigh a lot. No wonder people call you The Sighing Esper." Kei said with a laugh.

"Whatever. It's still irritating to know that people even have that vague description of me."

They kept walking until they heard a noise and turned towards a park. They looked at each other and started walking towards the noise.

"Hahaha! And he's a Judgment officer!? Yeah right! He can't even catch a dog!"

The scene they came to was Natsu chasing after a dog who had his armband in it's mouth while some kids were pointing and laughing at him.

Josh let out a sigh and turned to the female next to him. He figured she might as well help since she was also there.

"Do you mind helping him? I don't think he'll want my help any time soon." Josh said as he started to walk towards the kids.

"Sure."

She walked closer to the chase and put her hand on the ground.

Water started to form in a straight line and started to turn into ice. The dog, not seeing this, ran on the ice, slipped, and fell. Natsu, also not seeing the ice, slipped on the ice, but ended up smashing into a tree.

"Opps."

Kei cringed when she saw the impact and went to go see if he was alright, which he was.

"Heh. Serves him right for not wanting a 'civilian's help'." Josh said with a smirk.

"What did you do with the kids?" Kei asked as she turned around. She saw the kids running away, crying and holding their heads. "You're not very good with others, are you?"

"I'm more of an animal person." Josh said with a shrug.

"Thank you for that, but you shouldn't have helped me. As an officer of Judgement, I could have handled that myself." Natsu said as he adjusted his armband.

Josh just let out a sigh and shook his head.

Of course Natsu would say something like that. He was sticking to the tune he knew the best and didn't seem to want to change it.

"See what I mean. This guy is too stubborn to listen to us." Josh said with another sigh. "Well we should get going or we'll be late. See ya."

"Bye." Kei said as the two left.

"Hm. If you're going to be late, then don't help next time." Natsu said as he too walked away.

None of them noticed the pair of eyes watching them.

* * *

><p>"Is she your girlfriend?"<p>

That was the question Josh had to come to when he met with Will, Hans and Takeshi after school.

Why he didn't just blow Hans up already was anyone's guess.

Kei had followed him after wanting to meet his friends. Even though he denied that they were his friends, she wouldn't relent and here they are now.

"Tsk. No. She's my neighbor and classmate. She pretty cool though."

"Hi. My name is Chie Kei. It's nice to meet you. I'm a Level 3." The brunette said with a bow.

"Hello. I'm William Jones. Level 4 Electromaster. It's nice to meet you." The blond said with a small bow.

"My name is Hans Ludwig and I have a question. Why would you want to be anywhere near this guy? Someone who is a Level 3 and is as pretty as you shouldn't hang around a low level loser like him." The smaller blond said with a know-it-all tone.

Josh got a tick mark and let out a frustrated sigh. He was debating on whether or not to actually blow him up now.

"What are you talking about? He's a Level-?"

She stopped when she saw Will making giant movements and saw that Josh was giving her a small glare. She remembered how Josh had reacted when she had talked to him the day before and took an easy way out.

Takeshi was just staying quiet.

"So what Level are you?"

Josh let out a tired sigh while Will let out a sigh of relief.

Hans straightened up and got a cocky smile on his lips.

"I am a Level 4 Telekenetic. I also happen to go to Zunō. I am a top student in my grade level." Hans said with arrogance laced throughout the whole thing.

"He's also _very _modest and would _never _brag." Josh said with an eyeroll. He then remembered the last male there. "Oh yeah. That kid is Takeshi. He quiet, but pretty cool himself."

For his part, Takeshi shrunk into himself a little with some pink on his cheeks from embarrassment.

"Aw. He's so cute."

Said kid's face went more red.

"So what do you guys usually do?" She asked as she turned to Josh. She saw that he was just standing there with a spaced out look. "Hello? Are you okay?"

"All of choose between A and B." He suddenly said, getting confused looks. "Just choose."

"A."

"B."

"A."

"...A..."

"Fine." Josh let out a sigh and started walking across the street.

The others looked at each other then quickly followed.

He walked into the alleyway with the others behind him.

That's where they saw that Natsu and Mei were surrounded by a group of guys.

"It's always this guy." Josh muttered with a sigh. "Hey. Leave them alone. Two against all of you is unfair."

"Stay out of this! This is for officers of Judgment!" Natsu exclaimed.

That's when they noticed that he was covered in burns, cuts and bruises.

Josh also noticed something about the group of guys. He narrowed his eyes.

'These are the same idiots I beat up a while ago. They're couldn't do this much damage from what I saw. They're only Level 2. Also...' He took a glance towards the top of one of the buildings. 'Someone is watching us.'

"I remember you! You're the kid that beat us up before!" The guy on front said. He cracked his knuckles and and all of them started to surround the smaller group.

Josh just let out a sigh while Will gave them a sympathetic look. Hans just gave a cocky look, Takeshi didn't look much different and Kei looked slightly confused.

"Well let me tell you this..." He stretched out his arm and a ball of fire appeared. "This time you won't beat us."

"Hey! Your fight is with us! Leave those civilians alone!" Natsu yelled. The guy just turned around and gave a wicked smirk.

"Natsu, we can't keep fighting them all. We could use some help." Mei said, shaking him a little.

"Don't worry, kid. When we're done with these brats, we'll get back to y...ou."

The guy turned around and saw Josh letting out a yawn, Hans dusting himself off, Will giving a sympathetic look, Takeshi looking the same, Kei just looked around and bodies laying around them. Some had electricty coming off of them, others just laying against the wall with some bricks broken, some shivering with ice stuck to their bodies, and others just knocked out.

"What the hell happened!?"

"We beat the crap outta your little gang. The only funny part is that we literally had to lift barely a hand. They should feel honored we even did that. Not to sound arrogant or anything." Josh said with a smirk. "Now if you don't mind, I need to go for a moment."

With that, Josh was gone.

"Where did he go?" They all wondered.

* * *

><p>"So...How'd you get their levels higher? A simple Level 2 couldn't do that much damage to those two." Josh said as he stood on a roof, looking at a guy.<p>

Said guy had on a gray sweater, jeans and black hair.

"It's Academy City. Do you _really _think that it isn't possible for someone to raise their level so easily?" The guy said, not turning around.

"Point taken. So what do you want? You were watching the whole thing, so I assume you're getting ready to fight us, or me at least." Josh said as he looked at his phone.

"True. My 'leader' wants to fight you. He just wants to make sure you're a worthy opponent." The guy said.

Josh just let out a snort.

"What do you think this is, a shounen manga or something? Tell him that if he wants to fight me, then he should get his lazy ass up and come and see me." The teen said with a sigh. He then turned around and waved. "Well I'll keep an eye out for more of your idiotic goons. Keep up the good work."

And with that he was gone.

'Hm. It wouldn't be half bad to be in a shounen manga.' The guy thought before he too disappeared with the chime of a clock.

* * *

><p>"Thank you for the help. We were working on a case to catch this guy and his crew. Thanks to you guys, we finally did. Tell your friend we said thanks." Mei said as the guys were taken by Anti-Skill.<p>

"It's no problem. We're glad to help." Will said as gave his own smile.

"Yo. I'm back. Had to use the restroom." Josh said as he walked up to them.

"Shut up." Natsu walked up to him, grabbed him by the front of his shirt and glared at him. "Stop trying to be a hero and let us officers do our job! People like you are making Judgment get a bad reputation. Now our office is the laughing stock of Judgment! They keep saying that we only get our jobs done because of the help of civilians!"

Josh just looked down at him, lifted his hand and flicked him on the forehead.

Natsu flew back a little and landed on his butt.

Josh walked towards him and got a bored look on his face.

"Look, O_fficer of Judgment._ You need to know your place. You are a Level 2. So if you were to take on all of those idiots, who, by the way, are the same level as you, then you would have gotten your ass kicked worse than that. Did you give any thought to Mei? What if she was severely injured? You have limitations, and at times need help. That's when you swallow your damn pride and let others help. If you don't like it, or don't like being laughed at, then get stronger, raise your level the right way and don't give up. Stop being a brat and grow stronger." After that, Josh turned around and started to walk away. "When that happens, call me and fight me. I'll be ready at any time." With that, he was gone again.

There was an awkward silence that was broken by Will.

"I'm sorry for him. He didn't mean-"

"No. He's right. I need to get stronger." Natsu said as he got up with his back turned to the rest of them. "Mei...Can you handle the report?"

"Yes."

"Thanks. I'll see later."

The others just looked at each other with worried looks.

* * *

><p>'Maybe I went a <em>little <em>too far with that kid.' Josh thought as he let out a sigh and looked at his phone. 'Damn. Well I'm not gonna apologize. It's not in my nature.'

That's when there was a sudden knock at the door and he let out a sigh before putting his phone away. He wasn't expecting anyone and he was sure that Kei had already gone to sleep, seeing as it was around midnight.

He got up, walked to the door and opened it. He saw that it was Mei and gave a questioning look at her disheveled appearance.

"What's up? Why do you look like that?"

"N-N-Natsu..."

Josh let her in and got her a glass of water. He took out his earphone as she drank the whole thing.

"Thanks."

"Sure. So what's the problem? What did the idiot do?" Josh asked with a sigh.

"He's in trouble. He went on an assignment alone that was for more experienced members of Judgment."

Josh let out another sigh before getting up.

"And ya want me to help him?" He let out a sigh and got his jacket from his bed. "Fine. I'll help, but you owe me one." He walked out the door and was gone.

'Thank you.'

**_END CHAPTER_**

**Sorry if his chapter sucked, but we're almost done with what I call the Judgment Arc. After next chapter we get some real fights. Well that's all I have to say. Until next time, sayonara!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well here is chapter six. Sorry for the crappy fight scene in this one, but I made this during fourth period today and I was half asleep. Either way, I hope you all enjoy**

**Disclaimer: Previous chapters**

**Chapter 6: **Shadows on a Molecular Level (5) and New Fights

'I forgot to ask her where that idiot is. Damn. I don't feel like going around the whole city either.' Josh thought as he appeared and disappeared on buildings. 'Let's see...I guess I could call someone. But who would even know?'

He landed on one of the buildings and let out a sigh.

"I guess I have to try _that_. I don't have Mei's number so..."

He closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and released it. He shot his eyes open and an sphere appeared around him and expanded outward.

'So he's not within a thirteen kilometer radius.'

Josh let out a sigh and rubbed his shoulder.

"That always irritates me."

That's when he felt something vibrating in his pocket and took out his phone. He saw that it was a number he didn't know. So he answered it.

"Hello?"

_"Hey. It's me."_

"Me? Thank you for being very discriptive." Josh said with an eye roll.

_"It's me, Stupid Low Level."_

Josh looked at his phone and ended the call. It vibrated in his hand and saw that the number was Will's.

"Yeah?"

_"Don't hang up on me, idiot!"_

Josh let out a long and tired sigh.

"Fine. What do you want and why do you have Will's phone?" The teen asked as he went back to building hopping.

_"I called to help you find the other idiot." _Hans said through the phone.

Josh put his other earbud in and turned up the volume on his phone.

"Fine. If you know where I am then let me tell you that he's not within a thirteen kilometer radius of me." Josh said with a sigh as he stood on another roof.

_"How the heck do you know?"_

The taller of the two grinned, not that the other could see.

_"And stop with that damn smug look!_"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He took his earbuds out as the small blond raged through the phone. "So you gonna find him or what?"

_"Yeah, yeah. But the next time I see you, I'm gonna kill you. Okay?"_

"Hm. You can try, but it won't work." Josh said as he heard typing in the backround.

* * *

><p>"So now we just wait?" Will asked as he sat in an office with Hans, Takeshi and Mei.<p>

"Yeah. I sent him the place where Natsu is. Now we just have to wait and see." Hans said as he calmly took a gulp from his drink.

'Knowing him...I feel really sorry for those poor people.' Will thought with a sight. He already knew that there would be a lot of injuries in a one-sided fight.

"You guys aren't going to help him? Those people are tough. They're all Level 3 and the leader is a high level. You could handle the guys before because they were such a low level, but these guys are different. The only reason Anti-Skill hasn't done anything is because these are Espers." Mei said with a worried expression.

"He'll be fine. If anything, you should be worried about the people there. He hasn't told me exactly what his ability is, but just from what he has told me, he can definetly handle himself."

"He will make it back. I told him I was going to kill him the next time I see him and I can't kill a dead guy." Hans said calmly.

Takeshi just nodded his head.

* * *

><p>'So this is the place?' Josh thought as he walked around warehouses. 'Well this is kinda clichè. Can't they find a better spot?"<p>

"I am an officer of Judgment, and I demand that you turn yourselves in and make it easy for all of us."

Josh let out a sigh as he walked to a specific warehouse. He took a look through the open door and saw Natsu surrounded by multiple people.

'Idiot. He's gonna get his ass kicked. Whatever. I might as well see what happens.' The high level Esper thought as he walked inside the warehouse. He hid behind some oil barrels that he figured could be used to his advantage.

"Kid, do you know where you are? This is our territory. We'll let you off the hook if you give us all your money. So just hurry up, and pay up." A big guy said as he walked towards Natsu.

"Sorry, but I don't make deals with criminals." Natsu said as he got ready to fight.

Remembering what Hans had told him him about the assignment, Josh let out a small sigh.

'Are people from the Dark Side even considered criminals? I guess it depends on the job they have.'

"Look, kid. If you don't give us your money now, we'll have some problems."

Natsu just kept his eyes closed and arms crossed. He wasn't going to listen to his target, so he decided that a fight was the only option left.

"Fine! Have it your way!"

The guy threw a punch, but when it landed he saw that what he hit was a metal pipe.

"You have terrible aim. Must be because your just muscle and no brain."

The guy turned around and saw that Natsu was standing behind him.

'Hm. So that's his ability. This just might be interesting.' Josh thought as he watched the scene unfold.

"How did he do that!"

The guy turned around and went for another punch, but like before he just hit a piece of metal, Natsu was gone and appeared behind him.

"You can't beat me. I may be a Level 2, but my ability still gives me an advantage." Natsu said with a cocky tone.

"Oh? If it's an ability, then we can use ours, right?"

Then everything around the guy, minus the other people, started to float in the air.

"Wow. Who knew you had a Telekenetic on your side. No, that's not it. It's Magnitism, isn't it?" Natsu said as he got ready for a real fight.

"And what if it is? I'm still gonna kick your ass!"

The stuff in the air were thrown at the male, but he was gone again, making the metals hit some of the surrounding people.

"Stop dodging and fight me like a man!"

"Why would I do that? My ability isn't a direct attack one. Plus, my real mission is to arrest you all. Now, I'll be beating you a-"

He was stopped when something hit him, making him fall down with blood coming from the back of his head.

"There are more people here and you talk too much. Like hell you can beat all of us." One guy said as he held a metal pipe. "Now about that money!"

The guy lifted the pipe above his head and brought it down.

Natsu closed his eyes and waited for the hit, but it never came. He cracked an eye open and saw Josh holding the pipe back.

"Man. And here I thought you could take some out before I had to come in. So much for that." Josh said with a sigh. "Whatever. Looks like I have to make good of my word now."

He turned to the man, lifted his other hand and flicked the guy in the gut. The guy went flying, bring some of the other people with him.

Josh turned to the other people there and smirked. He figured that he might as well have some fun while beating these people up.

"So who's next?"

"I'll kill you!"

Some guys ran up with pipes in hand and their abilities being released.

"That's it? So much for this being fun." Josh said with a sigh.

Just as everything was about to hit him, they were all blown back.

None of them had seen the attack coming and didn't even see Josh make any movement to initiate it.

"See?"

"How the hell can he do that? Is it a reflection ability?" One of the guys asked as they backed away.

"No. That's a wind attack. More accurately, a wind shield. First you guys were blocked by it, then this kid pushed you back using the force of the wind."

They all turned to see a woman sitting on a pile of metal.

"Boss!"

The girl had black hair, onyx eyes and a smirk in place. She was wearing a black shirt, a black jeans jacket and blue jeans.

"Heya. So you're the newest one of us, right? Wow you look laid back." The woman said.

"Who are you and why do you mean by that?" Josh asked as he turned down his music.

He then remembered the person he met on the rooftop. Even if he couldn't see that guy around the warehouse, it was safe to assume that he could be around them.

"Are you the one who sent their underling to watch us fight?"

This just got a questioning look from the woman and Natsu.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, kid."

She stood up from the pile of metal and hit a button on the wall.

The whole room lit up and she gave a grin.

"You're suppose to be three ranks above me. Mind in I put it to the test?"

Josh just let out a sigh and took his earbud out.

"So that's how it is. Can we do this somewhere else though? I'm sure you don't want to hurt your subordinates. Not to mention I came here to pick up this idiot." The teen said, pointing to Natsu. "On second thought, can't you just let us go?"

"Sorry, but no."

Josh went a little wide eyed when he felt something pierce his shoulder and looked down to see a black needle through his left shoulder. It receded behind him and he turned around to see that it went into his shadow.

"Really? You have to have _that _kind of power?"

He sounded bored, but still held the bleeding spot on his shoulder. He didn't hunk she would even be able to get a hit on him, let alone pierce his body.

He let out a frustrated sigh and scratched his head roughly.

"Fine. Let's just get this over with."

Just as he said that, more of the needles shot up from his shadow.

Before any of them could hit, he was gone.

"Compared to me, those are super slow."

The woman turned around and brought up her arms just in time to block a kick headed for her head.

She looked up and saw that he was gone again.

Her shadow shot up and Josh went wide eyed as his kick was stopped.

He jumped back and saw that his shoe was ripped up.

"Really? Now I have to buy new ones." He complained as he took both his shoes off. "Oh well."

He threw the ruined shoe at his opponent, but she just hit it away.

"Ha. What was that suppose to-"

She went wide eyed when a fist came speeding towards her face.

She dodged it, but ended up getting kneed in the stomach.

"Heh. Guess you are good. Looks like I don't have to hold back here."

'Wow. I could only handle one of these guys and he can take on this crazy chick like she's nothing. Amazing.' Natsu thought as he and the other guys watched the fight.

"By the way. My name is Senketsu Karui. Academy City's #5. My ability is called Shade!"

All the surrounding shadows sped towards Josh at a high speed.

Just as they were about to hit, a huge gust of wind came from the boy and blew everything away.

The shadows didn't disappear so he jumped away, but went wide eyed when he saw his own shadow attack him.

"Hm. Looks like I can hit you then."

"I guess I should tell you. Since you were so kind."

Josh stood straight up and put his earphones in.

"I am one of Academy City's #2, Joshua Hopper. I don't have a name for my ability, but if I were to give it one then it would be...Aero Lock."

Before she realized it, Karui was slammed into the wall and smashed through it, coughing up blood.

"What?"

Josh appeared over her and slammed his foot down on her gut.

"H-how?"

She grabbed his leg and the surrounding shadows sped towards Josh again.

He tried to dodge them, but ended up getting cuts from them.

All the shadows started to form together and slammed into the teen.

He flew through the air and landed on the ground with a thud.

He got up and dusted himself off.

"What the hell is going on!? How come that didn't effect you!?"

"It did."

This got a confused look from everyone.

"I don't like talking about my ability, but I guess I have no choice. My power isn't so much wind manipulation. It's more along the lines of I can control everything having to do with air."

That's when they all saw something surrounding Josh's body.

"I compressed certain stuff in the air and used it as a type of armor. The attack did hit me, but I was protected. You see? Anything in the air is within my domain."

Josh stuck his hand out and they could all see small, blue balls coming together to make a ball of water in his hand.

The water shot towards Karui, but were swatted away by a shadow.

"Not to brag, but I can do so much more with this power. I just prefer to use wind. Damnit. I'm starting to sound like those people in manga. I really shouldn't have told you about my ability. Oh well."

He took one earbud out and looked Karui.

"So, do you still want to fight? You can't get many shadows out here when it's cloudy, so this will be a one-sided fight soon."

"Hm. I guess your right. Under any other situation, this would have been a fun fight, but neither of us was ready to fight each other. This'll be enough for tonight. Take your friend and go."

Karui said as she started to walk away.

"He's not my friend." Josh said as he to started to walk away.

Natsu quickly followed.

"You're not going to try and arrest them?"

"I don't have the power for something like that. When I get stronger, I'll come back and arrest them for sure. I'll also beat you." Natsu said with a determined look.

Josh just gave a smirk. Even of he hated sounding like someone from a manga and giving speeches, he was glad that Natsu was actually learning now from what he had said before.

"Hm. I look forward to it."

* * *

><p>"You guys are finally back! I'm so glad." Mei said as she ran up and hugged Natsu.<p>

"What happened to you? You're bleeding and actually wounded." Will said as he and the other two walked up to them.

"Just got in a little fight. Nothing much." The teen said with a sigh. "I am so tired. I'm gonna head back to my dorm. I'll see you guys later."

Before he could leave, he felt something grab his arm.

He turned around to see that it was Natsu.

"Don't think this is done. You are a civilian and shouldn't have gone. As an officer of Judgment, I need-" He stopped when Josh flicked him on the forehead.

"You don't have a name for that ability of yours, do you?"

They all just have him a confused look.

"It's a pretty cool ability, so it needs a pretty cool name. Let's go with...Trick Room."

They just all stared at him in surprise.

"I'll be going then."

With that, he was gone, leaving some confused people.

"I never agreed to let you name my ability!"

* * *

><p>"Man. Last night sucked. I can't believe I had to deal with a Level 5." Josh said with a sigh as he walked with Kei to school. "Plus I sounded like a manga character again before I left."<p>

"Must have been tough if you got hurt." The brunette said, looking at the wrapping around Josh's body. "Plus, I think the way you acted was pretty cool. Who knew you could be nice to 'such an irritating person'. I'm amazed."

josh clicked his tongue and scratched his head.

"Shut up. I wasn't trying to be cool. And I was only nice because I was in a particularly good mood."

"Okay, okay. But still, the fact you fought another Level 5 and almost won with minor injuries is still amazing."

"Nah. She couldn't use her fully power since it was night time. I doubt the next time we meet it'll be that easy." Josh said with a sigh.

That's when someone bumped into Josh's shoulder.

"Watch your back." Josh quickly turned around and saw that the person was gone.

"What's wrong?" Kei asked as she turned around too.

"...Nothing. Just a little paranoid is all."

**_END CHAPTER_**

**And there ya go. Hope you all enjoyed it. As for the people who think I made Josh op even for a Level 5, remember that it's hard to get a shadow without much light and even with the moon out there are stuff that can block it. Anyways, next chapter we start what I call the Second Ranked Arc. Until then, sayonara.**


	7. Chapter 7

**So here's the next chapter for you all. It ended up _way_ different then what I had planned. There's also something at the end of the chapter for you all. So, I hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **Previous chapters

**Chapter 7: **A Threat

"Man, school is so boring. Why do we have to go so early?" Josh said with a sigh as he and Kei walked to school.

"It isn't that bad, just think about it like this; you sit in the back in most of your classes, so you can sleep through the boring parts." Kei said happily as Josh let out another sigh. "You know, with the way you sigh all the time, people might think you're depressed or something."

"Whatever. Like I care about what others think." The air manipulator said with a yawn.

"So you didn't care about what I think?" Josh turned to see Kei giving him a sad look with tears in her eyes. "Josh-kun is so mean!" That's when she started to fake cry.

Josh just clicked his tongue and turned the other way with a small blush.

"You know what I mean."

"I know. So how is Will-kun and...Hans...kun..." The two went wide eyed when they reached the school.

The scene they came too was a shocking one. The windows of the school were shattered, graffiti was all over the school, stuff from the classrooms were all over the courtyard, the ground itself was destroyed and all the trees were all over the place. Other students and staff were looking at the destroyed building too.

"What happened here?"

"Hopper-san!" The two turned to see Shinji running up to them.

"Shinji, what happened here? Who did all of this?" Josh asked as the other boy stopped and tried to catch his breath.

"It was some gang. They just came in here and started destroying everything. We tried to stop them, but they were too strong. All Level 4 at least." Shinji said as he stood up straight and his clothes disheveled.

"Was the leader a woman with black hair and used shadows?" Josh asked, ready to find the other Level 5.

"It wasn't Senketsu. We already questioned her. She and her gang were at their usual spot."

All three turned to see Natsu and Mei walking up to them.

"Natsu, Mei. If she didn't do it, then who did?"

The two Judgement officers didn't say anything for a few seconds, until Mei broke the silence.

"It was actually the gang you two beat last week." Mei said, looking at Josh and Kei.

The two went wide eyed.

Josh looked really irritated since he was the only one who knew exactly how their Level was raised. He wouldn't let something like this go unpunished and he knew exactly how he was going to go about with the punishment.

"Somehow, they got even stronger and after hearing that you two came to this school, they trashed the place. They probably won't go to the others' schools since they are in School Orchard and won't take that risk."

"That's good to know." Kei said with a sigh of relief.

"Although..." They all turned to Shinji. "There was a student who was taken?"

They all went wide eyed.

"What happened?"

"They came in here asking for you two, but since you weren't here, they started destroying the school. They took one of the kids that tried to stop them. He had brown hair and glasses."

Josh's eyes went wide and started to walk away. Now he was going to blow up both that person and the gang of idiots.

"Hey! Don't go after them. Leave it to us." Natsu said as he tried to stop the other.

He stopped when Josh turned around and gave him a dark look.

"This is my fight. Don't get involved."

The four were shocked at the other's additude.

"I'm going too! They want the both of us, so I'll help." Kei said, looking determined.

"No. I kinda know what's going on. I'll go by myself." Josh said as he started to walk away.

When he was walking, he saw two figures walking beside him.

"I'm going no matter what you say. Besides, you're sounding like a manga protagonist again."

"I wanna help in any way I can."

Josh just let out a sigh at his two classmates.

"Fine. Natsu! Don't even think of getting involved!" Josh said before the three left.

Now it was Natsu's turn to sigh.

"What an idiot. But I guess they can get this done." The male officer said with a smile.

* * *

><p>"So how are we going to find them?" Kei asked as they ran through the street.<p>

"Leave it to me." Josh said as he stopped, closed his eyes, took a deep breath in and released it. His eyes shot open and the other two were surprised when they felt a gust of wind hit them and expand outward. "Ten...Thirteen...Seventeen...Twenty...Twenty-seven...They're not that far. Follow me." The two looked at each other before quickly following.

"How can you tell where they are?" Kei asked as they ran.

Josh just let out a sigh, but explained anyways.

"I let out air from my body and that air combines with the air outside of my body. It expands to a certain extent, but since Aki is a Wind Manipulator, the wind I let out attached to him. Now I just need to follow where the wind connects. It leaves a kind of rope connecting us." Josh said as they reached a big bridge with a river flowing under it.

"So you made it, brats! It's about damn time! Seems like you have someone else!"

The three walked down the hill.

"Did you come here to save your little friend!? Well here he is!" The guy in front moved out of the way to show Aki tied up on the ground. "So, just stay out and-"

There was a small breeze and Josh was suddenly in front of the guy. They were all surprised, but even more surprised when the guy easily caught the fist aimed for his head.

"Nice try, kid. We aren't going to lose this time." The guy said before ramming his knee into the other's gut. He didn't relent and sent a punch to Josh's face, then kicked him back.

"Are you okay!?" The other two said as he helped Josh up.

"I'm fine. Get ready. These guys really did get stronger. And if I'm right...There should be a certain someone watching this...Can you two keep these idiots occupied while I find this guy?"

"Yeah. Just leave it to us." The two said as they walked forward.

"You can't beat us!"

After he said that, a bolt of electricty shot through some of them, making them fall to the ground. More were suddenly thrown into the river and a strange, strong current swept them away.

"Really? You could have called us, you know."

The three turned to see Will, Hans and Takeshi standing there.

"Now find that person while we hold these guys off."

The gang ran towards all of them while Josh jumped away and did the same thing as before.

"I found him. Can you guys handle it from here?" Josh asked.

"Just go already, idiot!" Hans yelled as he held his hands in the air with pieces of earth were above his head.

'Damn. This is really turning into some crappy cliché manga now.'

* * *

><p>"So it <em>was <em>your doing. Seriously, how the hell did you get these idiots to higher levels? Also, _please _tell me that you're going to turn them back to normal." Josh said as he looked at the man from before.

"Heh. I am, I used my ability and like hell I'm letting those idiots have that much power." The guy said.

He turned around and gave the other with a smirk.

"Well that's good to know. Now, can you tell who you are and why the hell you're doing this?"

The other just kept his smirk and said nothing.

Josh let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head.

"Fine. Have it your way then."

The other guy went wide eyed when he saw Josh in front of him and punching him in the stomach.

"Looks like I win."

"Yeah right."

Josh went wide eyed when he saw the guy start to fade away.

"What you punched was my past self."

Josh turned around just in time to get a kick to the stomach and sent back.

"My ability is called Clock Life and you are within my range. You can't win, even if you _are _a Level 5." The person said with a smirk.

For his part, Josh just started chuckling and started to stand.

"Wow. You can laugh at a time like this. You _do _know I can kill you right now, right?"

"No. I don't." Josh said as he gave his own smirk. "You're a hundred years away from being able to kill me."

The other person's smirk fell at this.

"Sorry. I wanted to use that line at least once. But do you know the full extent of my power?"

"Yeah. You can manipulate anything in the air, all the way down to water molecules." Clock Life said with a frown. "So what? Against my ability, that's nothing."

"Really now? Then maybe you should take a look behind you."

The person quickly turned around just so he could be blown back by a sudden explosion.

"Your rage of attack is approximately one mile around you, but my ability..." Josh extended out his arms and spheres started to form around him. "Is everything in the atmosphere."

The spheres headed for the guy, but he quickly dodged them, only for them to blow up near him. He was blown away and almost off the of the bridge they were on.

The guy stood up and wiped away the blood on his face.

"This...This kind of attack is nothing to my ability."

That's when Josh heard a clock chime and he saw all of the wounds on the other's body start to heal.

"Now that I know what you can do, I won't lose. You shouldn't have told me. Not very smart."

"What's your name?" Josh suddenly asked.

"Oh? You want to know it know? I guess it's fine. My name is Aoi Dai, Level 4 and third strongest in the _true _#2's group. My ability is Clock Life and I and the guy who is going to show how weak you are!"

He was suddenly gone and in front of Josh in an instant.

Seeing the attack coming, Josh blocked a punch and tried to land one of his own. He was met with another punch. Jumping back, Josh snapped his fingers four times and four explosions followed afterwards around Dai.

"You can't win with that!"

Dai sent a kick towards Josh, but just stopped by an invisible shield.

"Did you forget? I can use wind."

Dai's foot ended up getting shredded and that's when Josh heard the clock chime again. He saw all of the injuries were healed up.

"Let's try this then."

Water started to form around Dai and continued until the Level 4 was trapped in a sphere of water.

Josh snapped his finger and the whole bubble exploded. He heard the clock chime, turned around and snapped his finger again. Anther explosion occurred, hitting Dai head on. He heard the same chime and snapped his fingers eight times. Eight explosions went off all around him and smoke filled the air. He heard the chime again and calmly turned around to see Dai standing there without a scratch on him.

"It's not nice to destroy the bridge, you know." Dai with with a grin.

"Hm. Sure. Is that why there's nothing destroyed?"

As the smoke cleared, the two stood there on an in tact bridge.

"I already figured out your ability. It's Time Distortion. Every time I hear that clock chime you rewind time and a smaller, almost unnoticeable chime is made when you fast forward time. You heal yourself by rewinding time on yourself to when you didn't get hurt. Your whole ability is out and open to me. Now I know how to counter it." Josh explained with a smug look on his face.

"Oh? Now _that _I would like to see. Let's test it out!"

Dai was gone and reappeared in front of Josh again.

The Level 5 was wide eyed as the arm went through his stomach.

"Looks like I won't be able to see this great counter."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Dai went wided eyed and looked behind him to see Josh standing there with the same smug look.

"By the way, you shouldn't try to do anything to that."

Dai looked forward and saw the Josh in front of him fizzle out. He heard a snap and cursed loudly as he got caught in a massive explosion.

"I don't use it much, but illusions are not a problem for me."

"Heh...You...think this'll...stop me?" Dai panted as he walked out of the smoke.

He put a hand on his chest and smirked.

Josh just kept his smug look.

Dai went wide eyed when there was no chime and he was still injured.

"What's going on? What did you do?"

"I know someone who's ability is Space Distortion. Naturally, it would counter your ability. I guess I should thank both him and manga for helping me figure that out."

Before he could do anything, Dai was smashed to the ground by a powered punch from Josh.

"So you guys finally done?"

"Yeah. I'm kinda shocked it took _you _that long." Will said as he walked with the others.

"Well I'm glad Takeshi has that kind of ability or I wouldn't be done." Josh said with a sigh. He then turned to his classmates and saw that they were more injured than the others. "You guys okay? Ya wanna go to the hospital?"

"Hm? You actually care about some people!? What is this world coming too!?" Hans said with a smirk. He ended up getting a fist to his head.

"Yeah, we're fine. Just a little banged up is all." Kei said with a smile.

"That's good to hear. We should get going before we get in more trouble for ditching school."

The others nodded and started to walk away.

None of them noticed that Dai was gone or the multiple pairs of eyes watching them.

* * *

><p>"This sucks. Even with Mei's help in talking to the teachers, we <em>still <em>get punished." Josh said with a sigh as he, Kei, Shinji and Aki left the school grounds.

The sun was setting as the four were walking further and further away.

"Well I guess we _did _stay out longer than we should have." Kei said as she looked at her phone.

"Sorry I got caught." Aki said as he looked down.

"Shut up. It wasn't your fault. It was that jack-" Josh froze in the spot he was in and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Hm? Hopper-san? What's wrong?" Shinji asked, seeing his classmate staying still.

"Kei."

The girl gave him a questioning look.

"You can go on ahead. I need to see something."

"What are you talking about? Do want us to help you?" The brunette asked with a curious look.

"No. It's fine. I just need to check up on something." Josh said before disappearing from his spot.

The others just looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

* * *

><p>'Crap. I forgot about that jackass and didn't even check to see if he was still there. I highly doubt he is, but...' Josh pulled out his phone as he was building hopping. "Come on. Come on. Pick up, damn it."<p>

_"Hello?"_

"Will. Hey, I need you to do me a favor."

_"Hm? Josh? What is it?"_

"I need you to help me look around the city for that guy I fought earlier today. I forgot about him and just remembered that the dude is probably going to be back. Can you help?" Josh asked as he landed on the bridge from before.

_"I don't know...I don't think our dorm manager will let me...but I guess so. Do you want Takeshi too help too?"_

Josh let out a relieved sigh.

"Yeah. That'd be nice. Thanks." With that, he hung up his phone and looked around the bridge.

"Heya. So you're the new guy?" Josh quickly turned around to see a boy with dirty-blond hair and brown eyes standing on the bridge.

"And you are...?"

"The _real _#2 Esper, Keith."

Josh just gave a bored look.

"You _do _know that your name just ruined your ever-so-slightly-if-I-was-a-lower-level intimidating image, right?" Josh said, looking _very _unimpressed.

"Yeah, I know, but so what. Now, get ready to fight..." Josh was surprised when he saw a tree rushing at him. "Or you'll die quickly."

_**END CHAPTER**_

**OMAKE**

"Heh...You...think this'll...stop me?" Dai panted as he walked out of the smoke.

That's when a refrigerator came our of nowhere and smacked into him. He stood up and looked more tired.

"Okay...Ow."

He put a hand on his chest and smirked.

Josh just kept his smug look.

Dai went wide eyed when there was no chime and he was still injured.

"What's going on? What did you do?"

"I know someone who's ability is Space Distortion. Naturally, it would counter your ability. I should thank both him and manga for helping me figure that out."

Before he could do anything, Dai was smashed into the fridge by a powered punch from Josh.

"So you guys finally done?"

"Yeah. I'm kinda shocked it took _you _that long." Will said as he walked with the others.

"Well I'm glad Takeshi has that kind of ability or I wouldn't be done." Josh said with a sigh. He then turned to his classmates and saw that they were more injured than the others. "You guys okay? Ya wanna go to the hospital?"

"YOU MONSTER! THAT REFRIGERATOR WAS THE ONE FILLED WITH CONDIMENTS! How could you be so cruel!? Condiments are the only thing that my ability can't effect!" He then saw Takeshi and glared at him. "You're the monster!"

Hearing this Takeshi started to get tears in his eyes and ended up crying.

"Yeah! Cry you monster! Ow!"

"Shut up. You just made a kid cry, jackass!" Josh said as he punched Dai again on the ends while the others tried to comfort Takeshi.

In the backround, if you look very closely, you could see four figures shaking their heads.

**_END OMAKE_**

**Well there ya guys go. How'd ya like the omake? I'm not the one who thought of it though. The person who did is that last person mentioned in this account's bio. I made this after a stupid discussion of this chapter. Last thing. I'm sorry if the fight sucked. I don't really have much more to say, so until next time, sayonara!**


	8. Chapter 8

**We'll here is the next chapter for you rare people reading this. I hope you all enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: **Previous chapters

**Chapter 8: **Fights

"What the hell man! Why did you just throw a _tree_ at me!?" Josh yelled as Keith just shrugged his shoulders. "Don't give me that crap! I haven't done anything to you, so you have to right to do that."

"I just want to prove that I am better than you and should be the _only _#2." The blond said with a smirk.

Josh just gave a blank look.

"You have _got _to be kidding me. That's why you attacked me!? That's messed up man!" Josh said with a _very _irritated tone.

"Whatever. I'm still going to beat you and show everyone that I'm the only one that deserves that rank."

Josh let out a sigh of frustration when three more trees sped towards him. He just stuck his hand out and let out three snaps. The snaps were quickly followed by three explosions and smoke filled the air. When the smoke cleared, Keith saw that he was the only one on the bridge.

"Hm. Chicken."

* * *

><p>"I am so tired..." Josh sighed out as he locked his door.<p>

"You sure came back late last night."

Josh turned and saw the person speaking was Kei. She stood next to him with her back in her hand.

"Yeah, well I was looking for someone that I didn't find in the end." Josh answered as the two walked to their school. "I feel like a jackass because Will and Takeshi got in trouble for helping me and staying out late."

"Really? That's shocking. I thought you didn't care about stuff like that. Seems like you _do _care about your friends." Kei said with a giggle.

Josh just clicked his tongue and turned his head.

"I don't have any friends. They are too irritating to have. At most, I have _aquantinces_." Josh said as he sped up his walking pace.

Kei's smile fell a little and caught up.

"Why won't you admit that we're all your friends?" She asked, stoping in front of him and putting her hands on her hips.

"Why does it matter? You can say you're my friend all you want. I just won't say that I have friends." Josh said as he walked past her.

"Fine. Be that way. If you won't call us your friends, then I'm not talking to you ever again." Kei said as she walked past him with a huff.

Josh let out a sigh, put his other earphone in and continued to walk.

'So irritating.'

* * *

><p>"What's wrong with you two?"<p>

"Hm. Nothing is wrong. I have no idea what you're talking about." Kei said as she continued to eat her food.

Shinji and Aki just gave confused looks. They turned to their other friend and saw him with his eyes closed and earbuds in.

"Did you two get into a fight or something?" Aki asked.

He soon regretted it when he got a glare from the female.

"Like I said, nothing is wrong! So just mind your own business!" Kei exclaimed as she put more food in her mouth.

"Maybe it's that time of the month." Shinji whispered to the other.

"What did you say!?"

There was two loud yells and a few seconds later a very pissed off Kei stormed out of the room.

"This sucks. Now we have to wear our gym clothes." Shinji said as he looked at his, now soaking wet, state.

Aki was doing the same and tried to find a spot to dry off his glasses. The two turned and saw that Josh was in the same position that he was in as before.

"That's unfair! You blocked the hit!"

The Level 5 just raised his hand and the two felt themselves being hit with warm air. The two were quickly dry and gave their thanks.

"So can you tell us what's up with you two?" Aki asked as he fixed his glasses. "Friends shouldn't fight, you know."

Josh just pointed to his classmate.

"You just said it."

"Huh? Said what?"

Aki and Shinji gave each other confused looks.

"You said 'friends'. We're, as you say, 'fighting' because I won't say that I have any friends and she's mad at me for that." Josh said with a sigh.

"But aren't we your friends?" Shinji asked with a confused look.

Josh didn't say anything and just continued eating.

Both Aki and Shinji gave each other worried looks.

* * *

><p>"And he won't call us his friends! Can you believe that!?" Kei exclaimed as she sat on a bed with Takeshi on the other and Will at the desk. "Man, that guy really pissed me off. After what has happened, he has the gull to say that."<p>

"Well it's actually believable. Josh isn't the type to say that stuff out loud. Even if he doesn't say it, it doesn't mean that we're not his friends. I mean, if we weren't, then he probably wouldn't even talk to us, let alone hang out or walk to school with any of us." The blond said, trying not to agitate the girl anymore than she was.

"Yeah, but still. It wouldn't kill him to say we're friends at least once, ya know?" Kei said with a sigh.

'I wouldn't be shocked if it _did _kill him to say that.'

"What about you? How do you feel about it, Takeshi-kun?"

The boy just looked down at the ground and didn't say anything for a moment.

"...He...let us fight with him..." Takeshi said before shrinking into himself a little.

"It's not much, but he's got a point. Josh let's us fight with him. If we weren't close, then I doubt he would let us." Will said, trying to make any excuse to calm the girl down.

"I guess you're right." Kei let out a sigh and crossed her arms. "Fine. I'll forgive him for now."

Will just internally sighed while Takeshi looked down.

"Ya know...You know more about Josh-kun than me, but you've only known him a little longer than I have. Plus, you two hang out quite a bit..." Kei then got a glazed look in her eyes and gave a small giggle.

"...She's a...yaoi fangirl..." Takeshi said quietly as Will got a blush of embarrassment on his cheeks.

"B-b-but Hans also hangs out with us! And Takeshi too!" Will said quickly while waving his hands in front of himself. This added to the blush Kei was sporting and the giggling.

"...Kowai..."

* * *

><p>"I guess that was kinda rude of me to get those kind of thoughts, but man it was fun to see Will-kun get flustered like that." Kei said as she walked to her dorm. "Plus, just imaging those two together...hehehe."<p>

"I'm debating on whether or not I want to know what you're giggling about."

The brunette looked ahead and saw Josh just standing there with one earbud in. After hearing another giggle, he let out a sigh.

"On second thought...I don't want to know."

"So did you wait for me? How sweet of you." Kei said as the two continued to walk.

"Yeah. After you quickly left after the last bell, I figured you were still mad. I just decided to give you some time to cool down." Josh said as he scrolled through his phone.

"So did you hang out with Aki-kun and Shinji-kun?" Kei asked as she looked up.

"Yeah. We hung out for a little bit. We ended up seeing Hans and that's when I took my leave. I didn't feeling like dealing with _that _irritation at the moment." The Level 5 said with a sigh.

"Seriously, how many times can you possibly sigh within one day?" Kei asked with a raised eyebrow and a grin in place.

"I don't know. Depends on how many irritations I have to deal with in one day." Josh said with yet another sigh.

"So how did you know I would walk this way?" Kei asked, returning to seeing the night stars.

"Will texted me after you left and told me that you were at his and Takeshi's dorm." Josh said as he put his phone away and took to looking at the street ahead. "I won't ask what you were doing there."

"Because it's too much of an irritation." Kei said with a giggle as Josh let out a sigh. "We just talked is all. It's kind of fun to get Will-kun all flustered though."

This got a questioning look from the other.

"Okay. I'm going to be nosy here and ask what _exactly _you guys talked about." Josh said, a little hesitant to hear.

"Nothing much. They pretty much let me vent out my frustration. By the way, I'm not mad with you anymore and that's thanks to those two." She then stopped and turned to face him. She gave him a bright smile and continued to talk. "You know, even if you won't admit it, you have some really great friends." She said before continuing to walk.

"I don't have any friends." Josh muttered a little darkly as he also continued to walk.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Kei asked as he caught up with her.

"No. Nothing at all."

"How touching. Two love birds going for a nightly stroll."

The two turned around to see Keith standing behind them with a grin on his face.

"Are you stalking more or something? Jeez, you're so annoying." Josh said with a sigh as he walked forward and scratched the back of his head.

"Who's he? Do you know him?" Kei asked, looking from the blond to Josh.

"I wish I didn't." Josh said with another sigh. "Look, just head back to the dorm. I'll deal with this guy."

Kei was about to object, but she noticed that Josh was standing a little more straight and alert.

"Alright...But you better not lose to this guy! You got that!?" With that she took her leave.

'Hm. Who does she think I am?' Josh thought with a grin. "You ready to start, menso?"

* * *

><p>'Pick up! Pick up!' Kei thought as she held her phone to her ear.<p>

_"Hello? Kei?"_

"Will-kun! We have a problem!"

_"What's wrong? Are you okay?"_

"Yeah, but some guy just walked up to us and looked ready to fight. Josh stayed behind to fight him." Kei said as her breath started to even out.

_"I'm sure he can beat this guy without a sweat. So just calm down, okay?"_

"Not okay! I don't think it'll be that easy!" Kei took in a breath and exhaled. "Josh looked like he was taking this guy seriously. I don't think it'll be that easy for him to beat that guy. I want to go help him, but..."

_"Okay, okay, just calm down. I'll see what I can do. Takeshi and I will go and see if we can help him out. I'll even call Hans. Now you should just go to the dorm and try to get some sleep. It is still a school night." _Will said through the phone.

Kei could hear some sounds and guessed that he had gotten up.

"Okay. Thanks Will-kun. You guys really are great friends." And with that, she hung up the phone. 'Please be okay.'

* * *

><p>"I really hate you ability." Josh said with a sigh. He was panting a little bit and had some blood running down his arm.<p>

"The feeling is mutual. You haven't even gotten serious yet and you manged to hit me." Keith said with blood on his face and scratches on his arms.

"Heh. You say that like you _have _been serious this whole time." Josh said as he stood up straight and took out his earphones. "I guess I should put a little more effort into this."

"So we finally get a real fight." Keith said with a grin on his face.

"Let's start."

* * *

><p>'Where could this guy be? I don't want to be out this late, but if Josh is taking this guy seriously then I should help him. Man, this sucks.' Will thought as he ran through the empty streets. 'Wait...Even if it is late, there should still be more people here than this...'<p>

"Good observation."

Will went wide eyed and quickly jumped back just as something smashed to the ground. As the smoke cleared, he saw that the something was actually a someone.

"Hey. I'm Donald Bander. I'm a Level 4 and the true #2's right hand."

Will saw that the person in question had dirty blond hair and jade green eyes.

"I'm William Jones. I'm also a Level 4 and Josh's first friend since coming to Academy City." Will said, ready to let out electricity.

That's when there was a massive explosion that shook the ground.

'So that's when they are.'

"Sorry, but you can't go to them until you beat me. I prefer not too, but it's not my choice at the moment." Donald said with a distasteful look.

"Then we're the same in the fact I would rather not fight." Will said. He took a look at where the other had landed and saw that the ground was cracked. "But if I have to I will."

**_END CHAPTER_**

**And there you have it. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Now to tell you guys not to get your hopes up for a good fight. I suck at writing fight, but I'll try my best. So until next time, sayonara!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Well here is the next chapter. Sorry if the fight sucks, but I'm not really good with fights. I still hope you enjoy it though. Now let's begin!**

**Disclaimer: **Previous chapters

**Chapter 9: **Two vs One

"Why do I have to help? It's that idiot's fault for getting into a fight." Hans grumbled as he walked through the street.

After he got to his dorm and was ready to get some sleep, Will had called him and asked if he could help find Josh.

"Why do we have to fight him?"

"Because Keith-sama said so."

Hans turned around to see two guys walking towards him.

One had brown, curly hair and a pair of shades on. The other was chubby and his head was covered by a cap and eyes by a pair of sunglasses.

'This is so stupid. They could have at least _tried _to get a sneak attack hit on me. Are they underestimating me!?' Hans thought as his face turned red.

Dealing with Josh was one thing, but these two new people seemed like they didn't even care enough to actually pay any attention to him.

"Hey, little kid. We have to fight you." The brunet said with a tone that showed he didn't care.

"I am not a kid!" Hans yelled as benches started floating around him. "And if you want a fight, then fine! I'll crush you!"

The benches flew threw the air and headed for the two. Before they hit, they slowed down a little bit and caught on fire.

"I'm Mikio Masumi. Level 2 Esper and I am Keith-sama's helper." The brunet said, his voice sounding more happy when mentioning the Level 5.

"My name is Tsutomu Yuji. I also help Keith." The other one said. "I'm also a Level 2."

'Two Level 2 Espers and they want to fight me...I'll get it over with fast.' Hans thought as he used his power to lift some trees and light poles.

He threw them at the two and before they got to them, the trees burst into flames while the lights just sailed past them.

'Now...They're getting me mad.'

"It won't work. I'm a Psychokinetic and he's a Pyrokenetic." The chubby one said.

"Idiot. Why did you tell him our abilities?" The brunet said in a bored tone.

'These two are very annoying.' Hans thought as he started to shake. "Just leave then! There's no way you can beat me!"

The flames from the fires headed for them.

"That's cheating!" Yuji said as the two jumped to the side and landed on the street. "You can't use our attacks like that against us!"

"Just shut up! You're pissing me off the more you talk!" Hans exclaimed. "I'm just gonna beat you now!"

That's when the other two saw a shadow go over them and looked up to see parts of a destroyed bridge over them.

"What the hell!?"

That's when the piece started to fall on the two. They quickly jumped away, but saw benches flying towards them. The ones that went towards Masumi burst into flames while the ones aimed at Yuji moved slightly, letting him dodge it.

Masumi sent out small balls of fire that Hans easily dodged.

"That's all you've got?" Hans said with a smirk.

He went wide eyed when he felt three hits on his back and a stinging sensation. "What the hell."

That's when he saw that a circle of fire was surrounding him and getting bigger.

"You're a Level 2?" He asked, looking at Masumi.

"Yes." Was all the blond got as the flames grew.

Hans took a closer look around the area and saw that piece of wood from trees to benches were being added to the fire.

"That's right. One of you uses Psychokinesis. Let's see. From I can tell..." Hans put his chin between his index finger and thumb and got a thoughtful expression.

The other two were shocked when the flames were gone in an instant.

"The Pyrokenetic is Level 2, so that means he can only fire out those small balls of fire. And you, the Psychokinetic, can only lift stuff with certain mass. But that mass is small and simple. You can redirect certain things if they exceed that mass." The blond got a grin of his face and stuff around him started to float. "Now, I'll be winning this fight."

Hans lifted his hands and pointed his fingers out. The other two got ready to defend themselves, but where shocked when they felt a pressure hit them and went wide eyed when they saw blood running down their arms.

"Telekinetic energy is very useful, you know."

Yuji and Masumi started to run as Hans continued to shoot at them.

Yuji got to a light and touched it. It shot towards Hans, but the blond just moved out of the way and continued to shoot.

Masumi tried to send some fire balls, but they were quickly extinguished.

Hans stopped his assault and stuck both his hands in the air.

The two stopped as well and got their abilities ready.

Hans made a motion like he threw something and the two tried to block it, but ended up getting heavily damaged. Hans then made a slashing motion with a right arm and continued to shoot with his left. The two jumped to the side, but got a slice mark on both of their sides.

"That's so cheap! Why don't you fight us fair!?" Yuji yelled as he tried to dodge more hits, but still got hit. Between the two, he was the one with the least amount of damage.

"Fair? You attack me, one person, with two people." Hans said as the two hid behind different objects.

"We're Level 2!"

"True, but I don't see either of you make an attempt at a close combat fight. You two have also been attacking at a distance."

The two jumped away again and hid again.

"Plus, since we apparently have similar abilities, you haven't taken as much damage as your friend." Hans said with a sour look. 'Man that left a foul taste in my mouth.'

"Maybe if you attack at close combat first, we might try!"

The firing stopped and the two looked from their hiding spots to see Hans cracking his knuckles.

"Fine. I'll humor you and attack with my punches and kicks then." Hans used his power to lift himself off the ground and shot towards Yuji.

He reeled his fist back and punched the spot the other was at.

Yuji barely dodged the hit, but didn't have time as a kick was sent his way. He prought his arms up to block, but was still sent flying back.

Fireballs surrounded Hans and flew towards him, but were gone the instant that Hans punched them.

The blond turned to his other opponent and rushed at him too. He rushed at Masumi and reeled his fist back again as Masumi made fireballs appear around him. Hans easily got passed them and landed a solid punch to the other's stomach.

A shadow came over him and he looked up to see light poles above his head. As they started to fall on him, Hans brought his hand up and they stopped before they landed on him. Something flew towards him and he ended up getting hit on the back by something and was sent flying into some balls of fire.

"Okay...Now I'm seriously mad." Hans said as he stood up and dusted himself off.

He had some burns on his body, some his his clothes were burned and ripped off and he had a dark look.

The other two just regrouped and got ready for another attack.

Stuff started to float around Hans and the two went wide eyed when they saw the ground start to break up.

'This will take a lot of energy from me, but...'

Parts of the ground and other stuff from around them were suspended in the air and Hans was panting hard.

"I will destroy these two!"

He shot his arms forward and everything that was in the air went for the two. They tried to dodge, but still ended up getting beaten up by all the attacks. As they were dodging, the two still tried to attack Hans and ended up getting good hits on him.

After a minute of this pattern, everything fell to the ground and Hans was breathing heavily with cuts, bruises and burns on his body.

Yuji and Masumi were breathing just as hard and had blood coming off of them.

Masumi stuck his arm out and five balls of fire appeared.

Yuji touched some of the wood that was around him and put it in front of the fires. The wood quickly caught on fire and was sent towards Hans.

'I only have enough energy for one last attack.' Hans thought as he closed his eyes and stood up straight.

He took in a deep breath and and released it. His eyes shot open and the burning wood that was rushing towards him turned around and ended up hitting Yuji and Masumi dead on. They flew back and hit the building behind them.

"Heh. I told you that you couldn't beat me." Hans said as he walked towards the two.

"Damn it...We let Keith-sama down..." Masumi said with sadness evident in his voice.

That's when three big explosions went off and shook the ground.

The three looked towards the direction it came from and saw even more explosions.

'I'm glad I don't have to fight that crazy person.' The three thought as a large amount of electricity quickly followed in a different direction. 'What is with these crazy fights?'

"Well I'm leaving. I need to make sure that low level idiot hasn't died yet." Hans said as he started to walk away.

"Well...Crap. I can't move too much." Yuji said as he and Masumi laid on the street. "This sucks."

* * *

><p>"So you're the kid who stopped my Clock Life ability? Damn it. If it wasn't for you, then I would have won that fight." Takeshi stopped his walking and looked up at a bridge to see Dai looking down at him.<p>

"..."

"Aren't you going to call the others?" Dai asked with a bored look. "You guys _were _looking for me, right?"

"..."

"Not very talkative, huh?" He still didn't get an answer. Dai clicked his tongue and jumped off of the bridge. He landed on the ground and kept his bored look. "Fine. Let's just start this fight then." He touched the ground with his hand the the area they were in was covered in a blue tint.

"...Okay..." Doing the same, Takeshi touched the ground and a red tint overlapped the area.

The two colors mixed together, making a deep purple, then shattering.

"That's what I thought. Out abilities won't work like that. Time to try something new." Dai said with a grin.

"..."

**_END CHAPTER_**

**And there you go. Again, I'm sorry if the fight sucked, but I'm not good with fights. What makes it worse is that I_really _didn't know how to do a fight with telekinesis. Still, I hope you all enjoyed it. Until next time, sayonara!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Welp...Here's the next chapter. I will always complain about my inability to make a good fight, but this one has reasoning. If you care about the reason then it'll be at the bottom of the chapter. I still hope you enjoy.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: <strong>Clock Life vs Distortion Drive

"This will be a fun fight. I've never fought someone who can counter my Clock Life."

Takeshi just stayed quiet and didn't move.

"You're really boring, you know?"

"...Sorry..."

Dai let out a sigh and shook his head.

"I guess we should get this fight started then." He touched the ground and the blue tint came again, but in a smaller area. He was gone and Takeshi sidestepped a punch aimed for his head.

Tightening his own fist, Takeshi went for a punch and landed a solid hit on the other's gut, sending Dai crashing into a wall with wide eyes.

"H-how did you do that?"

"...I won't tell..."

Gritting his teeth, Dai disappeared and tired to land a kick on the other from behind, but Takeshi ducked under it and landed an uppercut on the other's chin and continued by kicking him away.

"Seriously getting pissed now."

The smaller of the two noticed that certain stuff around them was aging faster while other stuff was reverting to what it was made of.

'I don't get why he doesn't counter my ability right now though.'

"...Are you...going to attack...?" Takeshi asked, not looking fazed by any of this.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up and get ready to defend." Dai said as he touched the ground again. The blue tint started to close in on the two. 'That should be good. Half a mile is far enough to beat this kid. Now let's try something.' Dai rushed at the smaller boy and tired to land another punch, but like before, Takeshi dodged and went for his own hit. This time however, before he could land the punch, the ground under Takeshi started to crumble and he lost his balance. Seeing the opportunity, Dai shot his leg out and kicked the other in the stomach, sending him back a little. 'Good. My little trick worked.' He stood up and looked at Takeshi with a smirk in place. It was soon replaced with a frown at the sight of Takeshi standing there like nothing happened. 'What's with this kid?'

"...Irritating..." He got a questioning look, but dismissed it and touched the ground. The blue tint turned purple and the area shattered like before. He touched the ground again and the area was covered by a red tint. He was gone and appeared above Dai, landing a drop kick. He quickly got his balance back and kneed him in the face, making him stumble back. Takeshi rushed at the older one and let out a barrage of punches and kicks, finishing it off with a hard punch to the chest. Dai fell to the ground with a thud and the red tint disappeared. "...I win..." He started to walked away, but went a little wide eyed when he heard a chime and felt a fist on his stomach. He was sent back and landed on the ground.

"Who ever said this fight was done?"

The kid looked up to see Dai standing above him looking fine.

"I figured out what you did, so I copied you. Hope you don't mind."

As Takeshi tired to get up, Dai slammed his foot onto his stomach, making him cough up some blood.

"Looks like _I _win this fight."

"...Wrong..."

Dai looked down and saw the kid grab his leg. A red tint covered Dai that turned into purple and shattered.

"...If you were doing the same thing as me...then I know how to counter..." Takeshi held the other's leg tight and punched it hard with the other hand. They both heard a crack and Dai stumbled back with a yell. "I won't lose..."

Dai grabbed his broken leg and a blue tint went over him. They heard the chime and the taller one stood back up like nothing happened. He still looked pretty pissed though.

"Why are you even fighting? Why do you hang around them? You are nothing like them and are totally out of place among that group." Dai asked with a small frown. "Compared to them, you are an outsider and not necessary in that group."

"...Because...he's strong..." This got a confused look. "...I don't...want to talk about it..." Takeshi touched snapped his finger and he was covered in the red tint along with multiple different spot around the area. He moved his hand horizontally and Dai was hit by piece of the broken bridge.

'How did he...!?' Before he hit a building, Dai touched the concrete and landed on his feet as it fell to the ground as powder.

Before he could gather his thoughts, more objects rushed at him. He touched his own arm and a blue tint went over his whole body. Before any of the objects could reach him, they all rotted away. He looked around and saw all the areas where the red tint was and rushed at one of them. He got in the area and purple overtook the area then shattered.

'So that's what was going on.'

He touched his arm again as more objects rushed at him. He rushed to the next one as everything aimed at him rotted away. Just as he was about to get to the next area, Takeshi appeared in front of him and landed a kick to the face.

"...I won't let you..."

They both touched their own arms and their bodies were covered in a blue and red tint respectively. They rushed at each other with fists reeled back. They both tried to land hits, but when Dai got hit he recovered quickly while Takeshi's injuries healed just as fast. With one last hit, they both jumped back and were panting hard.

"So you can heal yourself too? Well that would have been nice to know sooner." Dai said as he stood up straight. That's when they heard and saw massive explosions occurring in the distance and felt the ground shake with it. 'That's some crazy power.'

They saw a large amount of electricity coming from another area. Seeing his opponent distracted, Takeshi touched the ground and disappeared. He reappeared and tired to land a kick on Dai, but his foot was caught by the other.

"Sorry, but I need to end this quickly before Keith destroys the whole area." He let go of the other's foot and slammed his own on the the smaller one's stomach, sending him back.

'I won't lose.' The red tint started to come in on the two until Takeshi's fist was the only thing with a red tint over it. Seeing this, Dai touched his hand and it was covered in a blue tint. The two rushed at each other with their fist reeled back.

"I _will _win this!" Dai went for the punch, and smirked when he felt it connect with other. Takeshi had his head down while Dai relished in his victory. "I told you-" He went wide eyed when he fet something tightened around his fist and tired to retract it.

"I win." Takeshi looked up and showed that he had the other's fist in his hand. He pulled Dai forward and landed a hard punch to his stomach and slammed him to the ground, causing debris to fill the air. When the air cleared up, Takeshi was standing a over Dai unconscious form. "You wanted to know why I fought you. It's because he's strong and I've decided he's going to be my new King. As such, I shall be his Bishop. I won't let you hurt him. I will protect the King." He started to walk away as another explosion went off. 'I'm coming...Ō-sama.'

* * *

><p>"You know...You look kinda familiar..."<p>

Will just let off some electricity as Donald got a pondering look. That's when he snapped his fingers and looked at the fellow blond.

"Are you-"

He had to jump out of the way as a bolt of lighting struck where he was standing. Just as his feet were about to touch the ground, he leaped back into the air.

"I'm right, aren't I? You're Elect-Error."

"No." More lighting shot off towards Donald, but he just stuck his hand out and the electricity was gone, shocking (no pun intended) Will.

"Don't give me such a serious look." Donald lifted up the side of his shirt to show a barcode. "After all, I am one of the ones who _didn't _fail."

* * *

><p><p>

**So about the reason. I had decided to allow someone to make this fight while I made other chapters, but he didn't getemanything/em done and I told him I'll just do it. I made this chapter during my fourth period, so it was a rush job. Sorry if it sucked. I still hope you enjoyed. Until next times, sayonara./strong/p**


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's a double update for you rare people reading this. This isn't my favorite fight, but I still liked it. Hope you all enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: **previous chapters

**Chapter 11: **Natural Absorb vs Elect-Error

"So you're the failed one, huh? This is the first time I've met you." Donald said while Will went from being wide eyed to having a dark look. "Oh? Are you mad because you are the only one who failed?"

"Shut up."

A metal bench was thrown at Donald, but he easily dodged it.

"I guess since you weren't strong enough to get a _real _Level 5, you settled for this newbie."

Some electricity started to come off of Will in large bursts, but the other blond just dodged each one.

"So where is your tag?"

"I said, shut up."

"So how much Power have you leeched off of him to survive?"

A massive amount of electricity started to gather around Will and metallic objects were now floating around him.

"So I assume that's a lot of Power."

"I said to shut the hell up!"

A giant lightning bolt fell from the sky and struck the ground the two were on.

* * *

><p>'Something is off with the air.' Josh thought as he jumped away from a truck that appeared in front of him.<p>

"You should pay more attention." Keith said as he teleported in front of the other.

"Why should I? It's too much of an irritation to deal with you while I'm half asleep." Josh said with a sigh. 'And it really sucks that I'm not lying. Where did my energy go? My calculations are kinda off too.'

That's when a lighting bolt flashed through the sky and caused the ground to shake.

"Looks like the blond idiot is going crazy." Keith said as he gave a serious look in the direction the lightning came from.

"And who might that be?" Josh asked with a curious look.

Keith turned to him, expression still serious.

'Don't tell me it's-'

"It's your dumb friend. He's releasing the Power you don't have." Keith said, turning back to the rising smoke.

"He's not my friend." Josh said with narrowed eyes as he also looked in the direction of the smoke. 'You better be fine, you idiot.'

* * *

><p>"I don't care what you say, but please don't call me that again." Will said as electricity was coming off of him. "I'm not a part of that anymore, so I would rather not be recognized by so some like you."<p>

"Well I will admit that the fake Level 5 is pretty strong." Donald said as he got on a defensive stance. "Now, come on, Elect-Error."

"Don't call me that."

Electricity shot from Will and sped toward the other, but like before, it was gone as quickly as it came. Sending some electricity around the area, some objects started to float again and rushed at Donald.

The dirty blond jumped out of the way and let out a small electrical spark through the objects. They quickly went towards Will, but never made it close as they were thrown to the side.

Donald touched the ground and he started to glow a little bit. He saw that more electricity was sent his way and slammed his hand onto the ground again. A shield of earth came up and blocked the attack.

Some pieces of the earth came out of the wall and shot towards Will.

Will jumped into the air and ended up clinging to the side of a building.

Donald sent more pieces of earth at him, but he just ran up the side of the building until the other stopped.

Will ran an electrical current through the building and the glass shattered as multiple machines came out of the rooms and started to fall all around the area.

Donald sent a small electrical current through them and redirected them so he didn't get hit. He jumped to the side and touched a tree, making him glow again.

Small balls of water formed around him and flew at Will.

Will sent more electricity through them and the water spread around the area with electricity running through each drop.

'This is kinda fun.' Donald thought as he picked up a tree and threw it at Will.

It missed and ended up destroying the window next to the blond.

"You don't have the best accuracy, you know." Will said as he looked at the broken window.

When he turned back, he saw Donald in front of him and land a punch to his stomach, sending him into the building.

'I guess I shouldn't have gotten distracted like that. He is a Level 4 after all.' Will thought as he ran out of the room with Donald following behind.

"Running away, huh? Maybe because a failure like you can't beat me." Donald said as he walked through the hall. He heard footsteps that faded when he got closer. 'So he's headed downstairs then.'

He let out a sigh and touched the frame from a doorway. He glowed again and tightened his fist.

'He can't run away from me that's easily.'

He slammed his fist onto the floor and destroyed it. He heard the fading footsteps again and repeated the action. He did this for the next three floors until he got to some stairs and destroyed them. He heard more footsteps and turned to see Will panting and looking at him.

"Sorry, did I destroy your escape?"

"Did you finally get tired of our game of tag?" Will asked with a grin.

"Hm. You were losing anyways."

Will let out a small laugh and ran back from where he came.

Donald let out a sigh and ran to catch the Electromaster.

'This floor doesn't seem to have any value. It's probably just some old offices.' Donald thought as he saw the empty rooms. 'Where could he be going?' He turned a corner and saw that it was a dead end. "Where is he?"

"You shouldn't turn your back to your opponent."

Donald turned around to see Will come from the ceiling. Before he could do anything, Will shot a bolt of electricity that passed by Donald's head.

"And you say I have bad accuracy." The dirty blond said with a smirk.

"I wasn't aiming for you."

This got a confused look.

That's when an alarm went off and the water sprinklers turned on.

'Now I can get a hit.' Will thought as he put his hand on the floor. Some electricity came off of him and spread through the water.

'So this is what he was planning. Too bad...'

Just as he got hit with the electricity, Donald started to glow and the electricity was gone, making Will go wide eyed.

"It won't work."

Will clicked his tongue and sent out more electricity.

"I just said it won't work."

That's when Donald heard a crack and turned to the wall just as some machines broke through the wall and hit him, sending him through the room next to him and out of the building.

'I'm lucky these walls are very weak.' Will thought as he walked to the edge of the building and saw Donald start to stand.

Will started to fall from the building and just as he was about to hit the ground, he sped towards Donald, sending a bombardment of punches and kicks that, for the most part, were blocked. He landed a kick to Donald's stomach and ended up sending him back, but got a punch to the face as payment.

"So this is what the failure can do. I'm surprised you haven't run out of energy yet. From what I heard, you couldn't release any electricity without knocking yourself out in the process. Maybe it's because of the fake Level 5's power. You should be grateful that you could leech off of him." Donald said with a smirk as he cracked his neck.

"I'm not leeching off of him." Will said as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Really now? I'm pretty sure he didn't give you his brainwave patter willingly. Face it, you have been taking his energy with every encounter you two have. You use the fact that he's new to your advantage to take his calculatioms and make sure you don't pass out." The dirty blond said as he walked towards a metal item and touched it, making him glow again. "You tricked him into thinking you wanted to be his friend and have been using him so you don't feel like you have failed as an experiment."

Donald ran towards Will and doges the multiple electrical strikes towards him.

Will brought up his arms to block the punch aimed at his head, but got a kick to the stomach instead and was sent back and onto the ground.

"ERROR was right to get rid of a failure like you."

"You're one to talk. You are using the other #2's calculations to fight me right now. Looks like you're taking this 'failed experiment' too serious, huh?" Will said with a smirk as Donald's expression turned into one of disdain. 'From what I could gather... His ability is an absorbtion one. I guess I'll have to try harder then.'

"So I guess you figured out my ability." Donald said, snapping Will out of his thoughts. "My ability is Natural Absorb and there's nothing that I can't absorb."

"Then let's try this."

Will let out more electricity, but Donald just stuck his hand out and the electricity was gone. Before he could do anything else though, Donald was hit from behind hard and landed on the ground. He looked and saw that it was a manhole cover that had hit him.

'Physical attacks are my best bet in this fight.'

"That was a good hit. I didn't think you would attack me from behind." Donald said as he stood up. "Now it's my turn."

Some electricity was coming off of him and he rushed at Will faster than was able to dodge the metallic objects trying to hit him and electricity aimed at him.

He landed a solid punch to Will's face and a kick to his stomach.

Before Will could gain his balance, Donald was in front of him again. He was able to land another punch to Will's stomach, a knee to the face and sent a powered up punch to his face again. Will flew back, slammed through a building and skid on the ground until he stopped after hitting a tree.

'I...can't keep fighting...'

"Well this is no fun anymore. Really, it's just sad." Donald walked up to Will and slammed his foot on the other's stomach, making Will cough up blood. "So where _is _your tag?" He noticed that Will had passed out, clicked his tongue and kicked him away.

Will fell on his front and that's when Donald saw something on his right shoulder blade.

"So there it is." It was a barcode that had a slash through it. "Well I guess I should go see the other fight. You wanna come with?"

* * *

><p>"You look tired. Do you want to take a break, or run away again?" Keith taunted as he smirked at Josh.<p>

"Sure. I mean, if you're already that tired out." Josh said as he panted a little. 'What the heck is going on? My calculations are getting more messed up.'

He was gone in an instant and appeared in front of Keith with his fist reeled back. Just as he was about to land a punch, Keith vanished and Josh ended up getting a kick to the back.

"You're so weak. How the heck did you get to #2 anyways? Maybe it was just a fluke."

Keith was gone again and reappeared to land a punch to Josh's stomach.

Josh quickly jumped back and snapped his fingers. This time only a small explosion occurred and not as far as before.

'Crap. I don't have enough energy for this.'

That's when they both heard a sound and turned to see the windows on one of the buildings was cracking. It continued until the glass shattered and a body came out of it.

The two moved away from the falling glass and looked up to see who was falling.

Josh went wide eyed when he saw that it was Will and quickly appeared in the air, got Will and appeared again, this time on the ground. He saw what state the blond was in and had a look of disbelief.

"What the hell..."

"You actually caught him." Donald said as he walked towards the two.

"It's about time you won. What took you so long?" Keith asked as he looked at the other dirty blond.

"I was messing around for a little bit. I ended up taking too long and he took the fake #2's energy."

The two continued to talk as Josh stood up with his back facing them.

"He was really weak though. Definitely a fail-"

Donald was cut off when his head was slammed into the ground by Josh and knocked unconscious.

Josh stood straight up and took in a deep, _long _breath. After a few seconds of just sucking in air, he looked at Keith with a dark look and wind whirling around him violently.

"You just pissed me off."

Josh was gone again and Keith went wide eyed when the other Level 5 reappeared in front of him, slammed his foot into his stomach and went flying.

"So now the real fun begins." Keith said as he appeared behind Josh and wiped the blood from his mouth. "It's about time."

**_END CHAPTER_**

**And there's that. It was kinda fun to make this. Whelp, the next chapter will be up later today. Until then, sayonara.**


	12. Chapter 12

**And here's number 12. I don't have much to say, so hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: **Previous chapters

**Chapter 12: **Level 5 Fight

"Before we start, I have a question for you."

Josh didn't say anything, so the blond continued.

"Do you know what the Network is?"

"No. I don't really care either." Josh said with a mad look still on his face.

"Okay. I just wanted to check is all." Keith said before he disappeared and reappeared in front of Josh and tried to land punch.

Josh just moved back and snapped his fingers, causing an explosion and sending the two back. He then made a slashing motion with his hands and two gusts of wind sped towards Keith.

The blond quickly teleported, but ended up getting hit in the stomach with something.

'What was that?'

Josh was in front of him again and tried to land a punch, but was blocked and ended up getting a kick to the back.

Just as he got his balance, Josh saw a giant truck headed his way and raised his arm. He brought it down and the whole truck was cut in half, spreading water all over the area. The water started to rise and form into balls of water and one shot towards Keith.

He teleported away, but got hit by another ball of water. He teleported away from more on coming attacks, but still got hit by some of them.

'I'm getting tired of this.'

Just as more balls of water came towards him, he lifted his hand and they were suddenly gone.

'He teleported the water away. Looks like I'll need to try something else.' Josh thought as he started to run towards Keith.

He sent more balls of water that continued to disappear. As the last one was gone, Josh grabbed Keith's arm and the two were gone. Neither of them noticed the two pairs of eyes watching them.

'Looks like this will turn out to be fun to watch.' One of them thought as they left the top of one of the buildings.

'Those two idiots. Where the hell did they go?' The other one thought as they moved from their spot by the side of a building.

* * *

><p>"A change of location, huh?" Keith said as he teleported away from his opponent.<p>

"Yeah. I figured that we shouldn't destroy more of the city or hurt the other two more." Josh said as he looked around.

They were standing in an empty street with buildings having graffiti on them and the place just looking like a general dump.

'I didn't give any thought to where to go, so we ended up here. But...'

"Oh? This place is where some Skill-Out groups are. Why did you being us here? You _do _know that Skill-Out is against _all E_spers, right?" Keith said with an amused look.

'Crap. Out of all places.' Josh let out a sigh. "Look, I didn't actually choose this place. I just didn't want to drag the other two in our attacks."

"Sounds like you care about what happens to those two." Keith said with amused look still in place.

"Don't get me wrong, I just don't want them to die, is all." Josh said as he looked around. "Although...There are some idiots who want to watch us go at it."

Some wind started to whirl around Josh's arms as some bodies were by some buildings.

"Guess we might have to put off our fight." Keith said as he also looked around.

They heard a gunshot and Josh brought up his hand. A bullet aimed to him was redirected and sent towards Keith.

The bullet was gone and they heard a small scream.

The two let out a sigh and rushed at each other as more shots were fired. The bullets were either deflected or disappeared and a scream followed.

Josh tried to land a punch, but Keith disappeared and reappeared above him.

Before the blond could do anything, he ended up doing a backflip and dodged some bullets aimed for his head. He raised his arm and a whole wall from a building was above Josh.

For his part, Josh lifted his arm and snapped his fingers. The wall exploded and the debris shot all around the area at a quick pace. Some of the people by the buildings were knocked back while the ones aimed at Keith disappeared.

Josh put his arm out in front of himself and made a slacking motion.

Keith teleported to the side as a blade of wind went past where he was. He heard something breaking and turned to see most of a building starting to fall.

There was a strong wind and the building was lifted into the air and brought above him.

As it fell, he teleported again, but got a kick to the gut and went flying, slamming into a building. He grinned as he wiped the blood from his mouth and touched the building he just slammed into. The building was gone and appeared on front of Josh.

He just snapped his fingers three times and the whole building exploded with smoke filling the air.

Keith smirked and just as he was about to teleport, he felt something hit him from different places and looked to see blood flowing from what looked like a bullet wound. He looked forward and saw that there were holes in the smoke, with more being made. He got hit a few more times before teleporting away and knocking out some more people.

He saw the people he knocked out, grabbed their guns and teleported away. He appeared behind Josh and took some shots, grazing Josh's side and arm.

Josh turned around just as more bullets were shot at him and lifted his finger. He made a motion like he shot a gun and the bullets were knocked away.

This continued for a few more seconds until Keith ran out of amo and teleported in front of Josh to land a punch, but was blocked.

That's when Josh felt something in his back, distracting him long enough for Keith to get a kick on his gut. He fell to the ground and grabbed the something in his back. He pulled it out to see that it was a knife. He put some wind around it and threw it at Keith.

The blond lifted his hand, but was shocked when it didn't disappear and ended having to dodge the knife. The result was a knee to the face then a powered up kick to the side, sending him flying far back.

'Well this is certainly lasting longer than I thought. Looks like he isn't so weak. I'll still win though.' Keith thought with a smirk as Josh appeared in front of him.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to kick you _this _far." Josh said as he looked around. "Isn't this the place where I kick your little helper's ass? Been awhile."

"I saw that fight. You definitely cheated. You just waited for your little friend to go and help you." The blond said with a sweat-drop.

"Nope. One, he isn't my friend. Two, I call it strategy, not cheating. And three, talk about being a stalker." Josh said as he turned back to the other. "At least we don't have to deal with those Skill-Out people anymore. It was kinda irritating."

"True. No how about we get back to our fight? I doubt you can last much longer since you're still probably connected to the Network."

Josh just narrowed his eyes at this and brought up arms up to block the punch aimed as his head. Josh brought his knee up, but Keith teleported away. He lifted his arm in the air and compressed air hovered above his head. He moved his hand in front of him and the air shot towards Keith, who just teleported away, but ended up getting hit by a powerful force. He was soaked and saw compressed air and water gathered from the river near them.

Instead of teleporting, he ended up jumped away from each attack. Each time he touched the ground, a part of it was gone and Josh had to doge the pieces of earth that almost hit him while he continued his attack.

He lifted his other hand and snapped his fingers. This time though, multiple explosions went off at once and Keith had to teleport away from the explosions.

The two traded off attacks and each only got a few hits on the other.

Josh put his arm down, making some of the gathered water fall to the ground. He grabbed his head and flinched, but lifted both his hands as he sent the rest of the water and wind at the blond. He snapped his fingers and instead of an explosion, nothing happened. He stopped the wind attacks and was panting.

"You...finally done?" Keith asked as he too was panting.

"Not even close..."

More explosions went off and Keith turned to see the bridge nearby start to fall.

Josh took a deep breath and lifted his arms on the air. A strong gust of wind went towards the bridge and wrapped around it. The bridge was lifted into the air and was brought to where the two were.

'I don't think I can do much after this. Maybe...one more thing.'

He snapped his fingers and pieces of the bridge started to break off. He brought his arms down and all of the bridge started to fall all over the place.

"You are definitely crazy." Keith said as he stared at the falling bridge. 'I can't completely dodge this one, but...neither can he.'

Keith closed his eyes and lifted his arm. He opened his eyes and a few of the broken pieces of the bridge were gone. He let out a sigh and brought both his arms up to try and block.

Josh let out his own sigh, but went wide eyed when a piece do the bridge slammed into his stomach and sent him flying.

'Damn. I let my guard down.' Josh thought as he slid on the ground with dust filling the air. 'Every part of my body hurts. I went overboard with this.' He thought as he laid on the ground.

He sat up and flinched. He saw that the piece of bridge next to him with blood on it.

'Well this is going to cost a lot at the hospital. Although, I doubt the other guy is any better.'

After a few minutes, he slowly got up and had to hold himself up with a nearby part of a broken tree. He slowly wobbled towards the river and saw that Keith was laying on the grass. He looked just as tired as Josh and had blood covering him.

"So...you finally...made it..." The blond panted out as he tried to get up.

"Yeah. Sorry it took awhile...I think I broke something...or multiple things actually." Josh said as he slowly walked down.

"Same."

"So why did you want to fight?" Josh asked as he sat down and leaned against the bridge.

"Because I'm the _only _#2 Esper in Academy City. I can't stand having someone else at the same rank as me." Keith said as he looked up at the night sky.

"That is such a stupid reason." Josh said with a sigh. "I mean, look at us now. Not to mention the others got hurt too."

"They're still better off then we currently are." The blond said with a chuckle.

"I doubt Will is. Your jackass of a friend beat the crap out of him. I'll have to kick his ass later." Josh said with a frown and a glare.

"It's better that he's like that. I may not like you for holding the same rank as me, but I'll give you some adive for that same reason. It's better if you get rid of the guy. He's already connected you to the Network, so you won't be as strong as you want." Keith said with a serious tone.

"No can do. I don't care what he's connected me too, I'll still be as strong as I want. Nothing will stop me from doing what I want." Josh said with his own serious tone. He then looked around and gave a small chuckle. "We really did a number on the city, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Hey...What exactly is this Network you were talking about?" Josh asked as he turned to the blond.

"A simple way to put it is-"

Before he could go on, he let out a scream and looked like something was pushing down on him.

"Hey! What's going on!?" Josh moved forward to help, but he suddenly felt the pressure on himself. 'What the hell!? This is air pressure. I don't have any energy to counter it! Damn it!'

"Now, now. You shouldn't tell the newbie about the secret." A voice said with an amused tone.

'Who is this guy?' Josh thought as he tried to see who it was.

"Hello there. I am the person who is currently holding both your lives in my hand." The man said with a grin. "It's a pleasure, newbie."

**_END CHAPTER_**

**And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed. Again, sorry if the fight sucked. By the way, we're almost done with the Second Ranked Arc. Two more chapter and we get into something else. I'm also sorry if these 'arcs' are short, but later on they get longer. So until next time, see ya!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm on a roll. Thirteen up and ready to go. After this, we're do e with the 'arc'. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter along with the rest of them.**

**Disclaimer: **Previous chapters

**Chapter 13: **New People

"Whoa. What happened here? This place got totaled." Hans said as he walked around and saw the buildings were destroyed and a lot of the street was too. "Was this from the idiot's fight?"

"...I don't think so..." Hans jumped and turned around to see Takeshi looked around.

"Oh, Takeshi. Don't scare me like that." The blond said as he put a hand on his chest to try and slow his heart rate.

"...I'm sorry..."

"So, do you know where the idiot and Will are?" Takeshi touched the ground and closed his eyes. A red tint went around the area, getting a questioning look from Hans. After a few seconds, the tint was gone and Takeshi stood up. He point in a direction and the two started to walk towards the direction. 'Must have been some crazy battle to do this much damage.'

"...Do you think...They are alright...?" Takeshi asked as he looked down.

"Huh? Of course they are. I mean Will definitely is, but that idiot probably isn't. You know, since he's such a low level." Hans said with a smirk. Takeshi just looked at him for a second before looking down again.

'...Iritating...' The younger one thought. He looked up and examined the area around them. 'This wasn't from King's fight...So that means...'

* * *

><p>As the two walked further away, they saw the area was also destroyed. There was glass and water all around. That's when Hans saw Will laying on the ground.<p>

"Will!" Takeshi looked ahead to see Hans running towards the other blond. He quickly followed and the two saw what shape Will was in. They saw Donald not too far off with his head still in the mini crater. "What happened?" The taller blond started to open his eyes and saw the other two.

"...Are you okay...?" Takeshi asked as he looked down at the other.

"Hm? Hans? Takeshi? Where am I?" Will asked as he tried to get up. He flinched and just went back down.

"Calm down. We're around the area you fought in." Hans said as he looked around again. "You sure did a number here."

"This isn't where I fought. It was further away from this." Will said as he tried to look around.

"So that means..." Hans went wide eyed. "There's no way that low level can do this much damage. Must have been his opponent." Hans said in denial.

"Hans...Josh is a Level Five. One of the two second ranked ones at that." Will said, as he closed his eyes.

"I still won't believe it." The smaller blond said as he crossed his arms and looked the other way.

"It doesn't matter if you believe it. It's the simple truth." The three turned to see someone walking up to them. He looked older than all of them, had brown hair and brown eyes.

"Who are you?" The guy just have a chuckle. Hans and Takeshi got in defensive stances.

"My name is Jigoku Katsu. I am the First Rank's Right Hand. Nice to beat you." Before any of them could do anything, Katsu moved his hand and the three went flying in the air by a strong air current. They fell to the ground with thuds and looked up to see the brunet just standing there. "Well I doubt either of the second ranks will need any of you. I guess I should just get rid of you now." He lifted his arm in the air and wind started to gather around it.

'Wind Manipulation? So all I need to do is-' Hans' thought was interrupted by the guy.

"Don't even try something. I'll tell you right now that it isn't Wind Manipulation." He brought his arm down and the three closed their eyes. The gathered wind slammed onto the ground and made everything in its way either fly into the air or get destroyed. 'I guess I should go see how he's doing.' With that, he took his leave.

* * *

><p>"Even after fighting each other like that, you two are still conscious? I guess you two do deserve the title of Level Five and Second Rank." The guy said as Josh and Keith were still on the ground.<p>

"Shut up. If you're going to kill us, then do it already." Josh said, getting an amused chuckle from the other. "After all...It would be easy for the First Ranked esper in Academy City to kill weakened people."

"Oh? So you figured out who I am? Well that's no fun." The guy said. "But you're right. I am Academy City's First Ranked esper. My name is Tatsumaki Mugen."

'Unless a miracle happens...we won't get out of this.' Josh said with a mental sigh. 'I guess I'll just have to stall for a miracle.' He looked over and saw that Keith looked worse than him. "So why _are _you waiting to kill us? Don't you want to make sure that there's no one in the running to take your spot?"

"Hm? Not at all. There's no one stronger than me, so I don't care who lives or who dies. I just like seeing strong people being crushed is all." Mugen said with a grin.

"Well aren't you a jackass? Did you have daddy issues when you were a child?" Mugen just laughed at this.

"Are you _that _desperate to live? I guess it _is _a little funny to see you acting like this." The older one said with a grin.

"So you haven't killed them yet?" Katsu said as he walked up to them.

"Nope. How about you? Looks like you're by yourself." Mugen asked casually. The other male just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Yeah. It was quick. None of them put up a good fight." The other two went wide eyed at hearing this.

"Well I guess I _should _get this over with." The preassure on the two increased, making them gasp.

'We're...going to die because of this guy...' That's when the two started to lose consciousness. Before his eyes closed, Josh saw that someone was running towards them.

* * *

><p>"I'm shocked you let them get away." Katsu said as he and Mugen walked down a street.<p>

"Yeah, well I have a little announcement to make, so I thought it would be more important. Plus, there's always time to mess with weaklings." Mugen said as the two walked into a building then an elevator.

"That may be true, but don't forget that those two are also connected to the Network." The brunet said.

"Yes, but _you _shouldn't forget that one of them doesn't even know about the Network and the other doesn't use it much." Mugen said as he reached a pair of metal doors. "And besides..." The doors were blown away and all the people in the room started yelling. "I _am _the strongest in the city."

**_END CHAPTER_**

**So not the best, or longest, chapter, but I need to put this up for next time. Still hope you enjoyed. Remember to R&R, okay? Just no flames, please. Until next time, sayonara!**


	14. Chapter 14

**It is currently 3 in the morning and I decided to finish this 'arc' before I go to sleep. I hope you (rare people) enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Previous chapters**

**Chapter 14: **Level 5 Challenge

"Hurry up and wake up. If you don't, you'll have a bigger bill to pay."

'Who is that and why are they being loud?' Josh thought as he started to open his eyes. After adjusting to the light, he saw a white ceiling.

"It's about damn time. I can't believe you could sleep for that long. You are so lazy."

He turned his head to see Karui standing next to the bed he was on.

"What are you doing here and where am I?" Josh asked as he sat up, but flinched a little.

"First; you should be thanking me. Second; you're in the hospital. Third; I'm here because I had to save you ass." Karui said, counting all three on her fingers. "If it wasn't for me and my guys, you and that other idiot would be dead right now."

"What are you talking about?" Josh asked.

That's when he noticed that he was the only person, beside Karui, on the room and he was on the only bed.

"You and the other idiot were getting crushed by #1, so I put you two in the shadows to save you before you got crushed into nothing. My guys had to save your friends from dying by #1's Right Hand. Just in time too." The black haired woman said with a sigh.

"Thanks. Also, they're not my friends." Josh said with a sigh. "How long have I been out?"

"For awhile. You were knocked out good."

Josh nodded his head and sighed.

"So where are the others then?"

"Well after dragging all your assess here, they put each of you in different rooms depending on the injures. You and Keith got your own rooms because you're both Level 5. The idiot left not too long ago. His little gang followed him. If it wasn't for that time guy, you would be more injured than that. So say your thanks later. Your little group is still here. That midget and kid are in the blond's room."

Remembering what state Will was in, Josh tightened his fist.

"Well I'm gonna get going now. See ya la-"

They both heard a ring and got their phones. Mugen popped up on the screen with a grin.

"Oh great. What does he want now?"

"This is going out to the rest you the Level Five Espers in Academy City. As the First Ranked esper in Academy City, I am declaring a Level Five Challenge in honor of our new Second Ranked."

Josh gave a confused look while Karui looked shocked.

"Is he serious!? Why the hell would he do that!" The older woman exclaimed, shocking Josh a little.

"The challenge with start in two months. You all better be ready. If you aren't ready to fight for your rank, and life, then be ready to die. Until then, ja ne!"

The phones went blank until they started back up again.

"That idiotic #1...Does he want to kill you _that _much!?" Karui said as she continued fuming.

"What are you talking about? And what's this Level 5 Challenge thing?" Josh asked with a curious expression.

Karui sighed and sat on the chair next to the bed.

"It's something any Level 5 can call except the lowest ranked one. If one of us calls it, then it becomes a competition for the lower ranked ones to take a higher spot by taking down the higher ranked ones. The higher ranks, like you, Keith and Mugen, just need to worry about keep your ranks. The higher rank can always defeat the lower ranked ones so they can't take their ranks. Since #1 just called it, that means the rest of us lower Level 5s have to participate in it." Karui explained while Josh just took all the information in.

"Hm. Sounds kind of interesting. So are you going to try and attack me?" Josh asked, not really looking like he was going to defend himself.

"Nah. We're cool. I don't really have a reason to go after the #2 spot. #5 is fine for me, but that won't stop the other two from going after you. You should be carful." Karui said as she got up and grabbed her jeans jacket from the chair. Before she walked out, she stopped and turned back. "Hey...You wanna team up?"

"Huh?"

"You wanna team up? That way we can both keep our ranks. You help me out, and in return, I help you out. That way we each have one less person to worry about." Josh gave a pondering look before sighing.

"Might as well. I'm new to this whole Level 5 Challenge thing, so it would be nice to have an ally in it."

Karui just gave a thumbs up before heading for the door again.

"Well, I'll be seeing ya. Later."

* * *

><p>"...We're glad you're getting better..." Takeshi said as he and Hans sat by Will's bed.<p>

"Thanks. I took a beating in my fight. I guess I need to work harder." Will said with a small laugh.

"...We can help you...If you want..." The younger one said with a smile.

"Sure. That would be great." That's when Will noticed that Hans was hasn't said anything and looked to be in deep thought. "Hans, are you okay?"

That snapped the boy out of his thoughts.

"Hm? Oh. Yeah. I'm just thinking is all."

That's when the door opened and Josh walked in.

"Yo, Will. You feelin' better?"

"Yeah. How about you? Weren't you more hurt than me?" The blond asked.

"Nah. The most damage I got was a girder to the gut. Nothing much." The Level 5 said as he stood at the foot of the bed. That's when he saw Hans glaring at him. "What's your problem."

"My problem is the fact that you lied and said you weren't a high level Esper."

Josh turned to Will and gave him a small glare.

"While you were off having fun and winning _oh so easily, _we had to be put though tough fights because of _your _stupidity!" Hans said, his voice raising with each sentence. "I mean, look at Will! When we found him, he looked like someone used him as a punching bag! And where the hell were you!"

"Shut up." Josh gave the small boy a dark glare and some wind was whirling around him. "You don't know what happened, so just keep your mouth shut. You are the one who took the least amount of damage in your fight compared to the rest of us. So the next time you want to say something like that, think it through."

Hans was sweating a little, Takeshi looked uncomfortable and Will looked down.

"I'm leaving. I have some business to take care of. I'll see ya later."

There was an awkward silence in the room and no one moved.

"He is the one who caught me before I fell to the ground and even slammed Donald's head into the ground. He also looked pretty pissed too." Will finally said. "At least... That's what one of those guys that brought us here said..."

"...He was also fighting the other Second Ranked..." Takeshi said, looking down.

"Well I don't care. It's his fault that all of this started." Hans said as he crossed his arms.

The other two didn't say anything, but just gave small sighs.

* * *

><p>'Now what should I do to pass the time?' Josh thought as he walked around with both earphones in.<p>

That's when he was tackled to the ground with a thud and felt the weight of someone on him. He looked behind him to see Kendel on top of him and rubbing her face into his back.

Being freaked out by this, Josh quickly escaped her grasp and stood up.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

"Hallo Herr Stufe Fünf! Wie geht es dir!? Sind sie immer noch hängen mit meinen dummen bruder? Sie sind zu schön, zu hängen werden ihm!" Kendel said, getting into the other's personal space.

Josh backed away with a freaked out expression.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down. What are you saying?" Josh asked as the other looked really happy.

"Ah~~~ A Level 5 just spoke to me! And one of the Second Ranked ones too~~~"

That's when Josh froze and got ready to run away.

"There he is!"

Josh turned to see Kei, Aki and Shinji running up to them.

"Josh-kun, are you okay!? You weren't at school and we were so worried!" Kei said with a worried expression.

That's when she saw that he was wrapped up in bandages.

"Wer ist das luder!?" Kendel asked as she latched on to Josh's arm. "Er gehört mir, sie verstanden!?"

"Josh-kun...Who is this girl?" Kei asked with a sickly sweet smile while Aki and Shinji looked ready to run.

"This is Hans' little sister. I don't know what she's saying though." The Level 5 said as he tried to pry his arm free.

"Oh, don't worry. I know _exactly _what this little brat is saying." The brunette said as ice started to form around her feet and some steam formed around her body.

After finally getting his arm back, Josh grabbed Kei's wrist and the four were instantly gone from the area.

"Ah~~ What amazing power~~ That feels like the wind of love, taking me away to such a sweet place~~"

The girl got weird look from others.

"They will all be mine!"

* * *

><p>'Damn that hurts.'<p>

"Hopper-kun, are you okay?" Aki asked as the three gave him worried looks.

"Yeah. Just a little tired. I'm still recovering, so I can't really over exert myself." Josh said as he stood up straight.

"So what happened to you?" Shinji asked as the four started to walk around.

"I got into a fight last night and it wasn't the most fun I've had before. My body still hurts like hell." The teen said as he rubbed his shoulder. "Turns out the jackass was the other #2 and now I'm stuck in some Level 5 Challenge because the #1 is a psycho douchebag."

"I remember the last time a Level 5 declared a challenge. A major part of the was destroyed and it took them a long time to build everything back up." Shinji said with a pondering look.

"If I remember correctly, it was caused by a fight between the current #3, #4 and #5 Espers." Aki said as the four walked to a park.

'So Karui was involved in that? I wonder who declared the challenge. It had to be either #1, #2 or #3. I doubt it was Keith. So that leaves #1 and #3.' Josh thought as he stood next to a bench while the three sat on the bench. "Hey, who exactly are #3 and #4?"

"We don't really know _who _they are, but I've heard that one of them uses Light Manipulation." Aki said, getting a nod from the others.

"Well that sounds like it'll be irritating." Josh said with a sigh. "Well I have two months until I have to deal with the rest of them."

"Well during that time, you can be working on the work you missed today and get your grades up."

The four jumped and turned around to see a tall man standing behind them.

"Sensei..."

"Aw crap."

Before they could do anything, the man slammed his fist down on Josh's head, knocking him out and making a lump on his head. He grabbed the teen by his jacket and started to drag him away.

"Make sure not to be out after curfew!" He called back as he left while dragging the teen.

'Sensei can be scary when he wants to be...' The three thought with sweat on their foreheads. 'Hopefully he'll survive... We'll pray for him, just in case.'

**_END CHAPTER_**

**And there you have it. If you want to know what Kendal said, then google translate it. That's what I did. On to another note. Next chapter starts what I call the 'Angel' Esper Arc. Until next time, sayonara!**


	15. Chapter 15

**And here's where we start a new "arc". I'm kinda excited for this one. It won't be a long one, but oh well. I hope you all enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: **previous chapters

**Chapter 15: **A Project

"So are you feeling better? I'm guessing Sensei didn't let you go without giving you _some _kind of punishment." Aki said as he and Josh sat in their class and waited for their teacher.

"Yeah. I'm stuck with detention for 'staying up late and missing school because I got in a stupid fight.' At least that's what he told me." Josh said with a sigh.

He let out a long yawn and ended up getting a book to the head.

"Hopper-kun, if you didn't get into stupid fights, maybe you wouldn't be so tired." The teacher said with a happy smile.

Josh just grumbled something under his breath and got another book to the head.

"Could you please bring those books back here?"

Letting out a sigh, Josh collected the two books and put them on the teacher's desk.

"Maybe you shouldn't throw them at your students in the first place." Josh mumbled, this time getting the spine of a book to the head.

"Go take your seat."

Doing as he was told, Josh made his way back to his seat and saw Aki shaking his head.

"Now as I said yesterday, we will be doing a school project with a school from School Garden and School Orchard. You will be paired up with someone at the same level as you, or put in groups at the same level as you. Although some of you are Level 0s, you will still have to do it, but with people from this school."

'Well it looks like I'll be stuck on my own.' Josh thought with a sigh. 'So irritating.'

"You guys have the rest of the period to think about what you want your project to be." The students in the class started to converse with each other. "Hopper, can I speak with you for a moment?"

This got a questioning look from the teen, but stood up anyways. He gave a slight glance to Aki, but the brunet just shrugged his shoulders. The two walked outside and the teacher let out a sigh.

"Didn't I get enough torture yesterday?" Josh asked.

His teacher got a serious look on his face, which made Josh sigh and take his earphone out.

"What is it?"

"Well, it's about the project."

"Hm? I have to do it by myself, right? It'll be annoying, but oh well." Josh said with a sigh as he scratched the back of his head.

"No. That's the thing. The two schools we're going to be doing the project with are Kichijitsu Gakuen from School Orchard and Tenshi Gakuen from School Garden."

Josh raised an eyebrow at this.

'Kichijitsu is where Will and Takeshi go. I've heard about Tenshi, but only that it's the best all female school in all of School Garden. Why would that matter to me? Unless...'

Josh let out a long and tired sigh.

"There's a Level 5 at Tenshi, isn't there?"

"Hm? Yes. How did you know that?" The teacher asked with a curious look.

"I know two people from Kichijitsu. They have told me that there are no Level 5s there. That means that Tenshi much have one and that's why you're telling me this." The teen said with yet another sigh. "So irritating."

"Correct again. Well not about the irritating part. As a member of Anti-Skill, I know that #1 has issued a Level 5 Challenge. I also want to tell you that you don't have to worry. The Level 5 that's there is the #4 and she's known as the Tenshi no Hikari. Her ability is called Illuminate and is Light Manipulation." The teacher said as he crossed his arms. "I've met her before. She's actually really nice. I doubt you'll have a problem. Even if you do, it's not like she can pick a fight with you. As you know, no Level 5s are allowed to fight before the designated time."

"Well I guess that is better than having to deal with someone irritating like Keith or Karui." Josh said with a relieved sigh.

The older male gave a chuckled.

"Well I guess I don't have a choice."

"Sorry if it'll be 'a little irritating'."

Josh clicked his tongue while the teacher let out a laugh.

* * *

><p>"So are you excited for the project?" Will asked while sitting at his desk.<p>

Josh was laying on the blond's bed while Takeshi sat on his own bed.

"I wouldn't say excited so such as a little interested. I don't have many options on who to be paired up with. There's only one Level 5 between your school and Tenshi. On the up side, my teacher said that she's won't end up attacking me like the dumbass blond or the crazy woman." Josh said as he let out a yawn and turned so he was laying on his back. "Oh yeah. Who are you two paired up with?"

"My partner is a girl named Naru Rinka." Will said as he looked at the paper.

The two turned to Takeshi who looked down.

"...Kuro Senna..."

The two nodded their heads.

"I wonder what abilities they have." Will said as he looked nowhere in particular.

"I just remembered. Are you two sure you should be out of the hospital? You both had some serious injuries."

The two got a sad look.

"Yeah...We're fine. We healed up pretty fast. Like you, we can't really over exert ourselves though..."

There was an awkward silence between the three until the blond broke it.

"So does that mean you care about us? Are we _finally _your friends?"

The blond had a smirk on his face while Josh just clicked how tongue and turned to his side.

"I just felt _a little _bad that you got hurt. Still not saying it."

Will let out a laugh while Takeshi got a small smile on his face.

"Oh...By the way..." The blond turned around so his back was facing Josh, getting a curious look. "I _may _have told Hans that you are a Level 5..."

There was a silence before the blond heard a _long _sigh.

"So, are you okay with that?"

"Hell no. You shall receive divine punishment at a later notice."

The blond let out a nervous laugh.

"Oh yeah. By any chance, do either of you know something called the Network?"

Takeshi shook his head while Will stayed quiet for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"Can't say I have. Where did you hear that from?" The blond asked as his cheerful tone sounded forced and his shoulders tense.

Josh raised an eyebrow at this while Takeshi got a worried look.

"I heard it from the Lower #2. He asked me if I knew what the Network is twice during our fight. Before he could explain it to me, that stupid #1 showed up."

The two on the beds saw the blond relax a little.

"I just figured that one of you might know since you've been in the city longer than I have."

"Well I'm going to take a shower. We need to get a good nights rest to meet our partners for tomorrow." Will said with a forced smile, making the other two look more worried.

"I guess I should be leaving before that idiotic Judgment officer starts to bug me." The teen got up and headed for the door. "I'll see you two tomorrow. If you find anything out on this Network thing, let me know, kay?"

"Sure thing. See ya later."

Takeshi nodded his head, but still looked worried.

* * *

><p>'What is he hiding? He should know better than to try and trick us. I'm going to find out his secret.' Josh thought as he walked back to his dorm. 'Even if I am being a chismoso. Then again, it will probably be irritating too.'<p>

"You headed back to your dorm?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Josh turned around to see Natsu walking up to him.

"Don't worry, I'm off the clock right now. Though you should be back by now."

"Yeah, whatever. What about you? You gonna go to your dorm?" Josh asked as the two continued to walk.

"Yeah. I have to get up early tomorrow to make sure everything is ready." The smaller teen said with a small sigh. "We don't want to have to fix half of a district again because you idiots go crazy."

"So Judgment was also informed about the challenge, huh? I guess it makes since." The taller one said after hitting the other on the arm. "I know a little of what to expect. I've already fought both Keith and Karui. I've also seen what the #1 can do, but..." He looked down with a deep frown on his face. "I still don't know _exactly _what he can do. I guess it helps that Karui and I have a truce between us. I know Keith will try and fight me first though." He let out a sigh and looked ahead. "It's all so irritating."

"On the upside, no one is allowed to connect to the Network." Natsu said, getting a curious look from the other.

"What _is _this Network thing?"

"I'm not to sure. All I know is that it involves a Level 5 and a Level 4. I've tried to look into it before, but I was told to just leave it alone. Mei tried too and got the same thing."

The taller of the two got a deep frown and let out a sigh.

"Well this is where I need to head over this way. I'll see you later."

"Yeah. See ya."

* * *

><p>"Man, I don't know whether or not I'm looking forward to today." Josh said as he let out a sigh.<p>

"Well I'm fine. I'm partnered up with someone from Kichijitsu." Kei said as the two got to their school.

"It sucks that I have to go all the way to Tenshi. I would rather not do this project." The male said with a sigh.

"Why not just tell her to come to our school?" Kei asked with a raised eyebrow. "In fact, I'm shocked you're even allowed in School Garden."

"I'd feel like a jackass if I made her come over here. Besides, I texted Will and Takeshi so we can meet up and go there together. Those two have partners who also go to Tenshi."

This got a nod from the other.

"And to answer your question, they make exceptions for Judgement, Anti-Skill and certain projects like this one."

"Oh. I see. Well I'll see you later. Tell me how things go between you two." The brunette said as she went down one hall while Josh went down another.

He walked to his class and went to his seat.

"So now we just wait until sensei gets here then we can leave." Shinji said as the other sat down.

"Yup. The I get to meet this other Level 5. _Yay._"

Shinji shook his head while Josh let out a sigh.

"At least you get a girl. Kaito-san and I are partnered up with someone from Kichijitsu. If anything, the two of us should be sighing, not you."

The other just shrugged his shoulders.

"So is everyone excited for this? If about ten minutes you can leave to meet your partner." Their teacher said.

'Well I guess I might as well get it over with.' Josh thought with a sigh. 'So irritating.'

**_END CHAPTER_**

**And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. By the way, Tenshi is the equivalent to Tokiwadai...since it doesn't exist here... Also, since this is my fic, School Garden will be how Josh had explained. Well remember to R&R! Until next time, sayonara!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello one and hello all to this failed attempt at a good fanfic! This chapter we get introduced to some certain people! To find out who they are, read the chapter! Now let's get on with the chapter! *booing is heard***

**Disclaimer: **previous chapters and don't own song

**Chapter 16: **Tenshi Gakuen

'Well I guess I might as well try and make the most of it.' Josh thought as he scrolled though his phone.

"Sorry we're late. They let us out later than we thought."

The Level 5 looked up to see Will and Takeshi walking up to them.

"It's fine. I got here a little too early anyways." Josh said, putting his phone away and putting his hands in his pockets. "So we might as well go in."

The three walked towards the entrance and went to the security.

"Yes? What can I do for you?" A woman asked with a kind smile.

"We need to do a project and we are suppose to meet our partners at Tenshi Gakuen." Will said with his own smile.

"Okay. Let me just get you a pass to get through." After leaving for a moment, the woman came back and handed the three a card each. "This will allow you to enter without any problems. Have a nice day."

"Thank you. You too."

The three walked passed the gate with a nod from the security.

"Well I guess we better hurry up before we get yelled at or something." Josh said with a sigh.

"Is this how you felt when you first came to School Orchard?"

Josh looked and saw Will looking nervously around while Takeshi tried to shrink into himself. He then looked around and saw that there were girls all around them and were whispering. He let out a sigh and nodded his head.

"Yeah. The looks were irritating, but I got use to them. This might be a little different though. Such an irritation."

The other two couldn't help but nod their heads.

"You three must be our partners."

The three turned to see three girls standing there. One had dark brown hair and brown eyes. Another one had golden hair and jade green eyes. The last one was shorter than all of them. She had black hair and black eyes. They were all wearing a white shirt with a gray skirt.

"How long are you going to make us wait? Come on, follow us."

The first girl said as she briskly walked away.

"I'm sorry about her. She tends to have a short fuse most of the time." The blond said. "Don't worry though, she's actually really nice when you get to know her.

"You must be my partner! It's nice to meet you!" The shortest one said as she bounced up to Takeshi. "My name is Kuro Senna!"

The boy just stayed quiet, too surprised to say anything.

"His name's Takeshi. He's kinda shy, so don't mind him." Josh said as he patted the boy's head.

"It's fine! I don't mind at all! Come on, or else Rinka-chan will get more mad!" Senna said as she grabbed Takeshi's hand and pulled him along.

"So if that girl's name is Rinka, I'm guessing you're Alice?" Josh asked, looking at the female blond as the other three started to walk.

"Yes. You are Joshua, I assume."

Josh let out a sigh, but nodded his head.

"It's nice to meet you. I hope we can get along well."

"Yeah...Well seeing as how we are going to have to fight in two months, I doubt we really want to get know each other on a personal level." Josh said with a sigh as he took his earbud out.

"I wouldn't say that. I mean, I don't have a reason to raise my rank. I'm fine with being where I am." Alice said as she watched Senna pull Takeshi.

"Hm. You sound like Karui."

"You met her?" The female blond asked, tone turning a little sour.

"Yeah. We fought the first time I met her, but we decided to be allies for the challenge in two months." Josh said as they reached a big school building.

"Really? That doesn't sound like her. I thought she would have tried to fight you again by now."

This got a curious look from the other.

"And why would she want to do that?" The blond gave a small grin before answering.

"We've all heard about the fight the two #2s had. I just figured that she would try and get you when you were weakened."

Josh let out a sigh and shook his head.

"Oh well. It's your choice to team up with her."

"Well here we are. This is Tenshi Gakuen." Rinka said as the three males looked around and saw that it really was big with multiple buildings and girls walking all around. "I really hope none of you are perverts."

"Don't worry. Takeshi is too young to be a pervert, I hope, Will is too kind and I don't really care much for peeping." Josh said as the group walked through the campus.

"Shouldn't there be people from other schools here? I mean I doubt we are the only three who got partnered up with someone from Tenshi." Will said, noticing that he and the other two were getting glared at while the three girls were getting better treatment. "Why are they glaring at us like that?"

"Probably because Alice-nee is our Tenshi no Hikari and Rinka-chan is her Right Hand." Senna said happily while Takeshi was still being pulled by her.

"That's right. You're the only Level 5 in this school. Stuff like this makes me glad that I don't get treatment like this at my school." Josh said with a sigh. "I'm just glad that the Midget isn't here."

"Oh yeah. I forgot he goes to Zunō." Will said, trying not to look intimidated by the looks they we getting.

"To tell you the truth, Zunō was supposed to participate in this project instead of your school, but they didn't want too." Alice said, looking at Josh. "I am personally glad. They also have a Level 5 and he's not someone you would want to be around."

"Let me guess. He's a smartass who has an ego bigger than Academy City and will do anything to be right?" Josh asked, getting a questioning look from the others. "No. I haven't met him."

"You're more-or-less right. Are you sure you haven't met him before?" Rinka asked as they entered one of the buildings.

"Positive. I just figured that since he goes to Zunō, and is a Level 5, he would be like that." Josh said with a small sigh.

"Well I think it's time we got to our project. The sooner we start, the sooner we can get it done." Alice said with a smile, getting a nod from the others.

"Takeshi-kun and I will be in one of the higher up classes then. Let's go!"

Takeshi just followed without a word.

"They look cute together." Alice suddenly said. She got weird looks from the others and some pink was quickly on her cheeks. "Well we're going to the gymnasium."

"But I thought we were going to-"

"Rinka, we're going to the gymnasium. So you and William can just get to work on your own project." Alice said with a smile.

Rinka sighed and shook her head.

"Glad you see it my way. We'll be off."

* * *

><p>"So what is our project going to be?" Josh asked as he sat on some steps while Alice stood with a pondering look.<p>

"We have to do something with the words we got before leaving our class. What is your word?"

Pulling out a slip of paper from his pocket, Josh looked at it and let out a sigh.

'He really _does _sigh a lot.'

"I got Pride. How about you?"

"I got beauty. So what should we do? We have to find a way to represent these two words and be creative about it." She looked down at the other Esper and saw him with his eyes closed. "Don't go to sleep! We need to start this."

He opened his eyes and let out a sigh.

"I wasn't sleeping. I was thinking." Josh said with a tired look. 'Though I _would _like to go to sleep.'

"So what were you think about then?" Alice asked with her hands on her hips.

"I was thinking that we can do a song. There are tons of different songs, so I doubt it'll be hard to find one that has both Pride and Beauty in how the music is played and how the artist sings."

Hearing the idea, Alice brightened up and got a big smile on her face.

"That's a great idea! We can put on a concert and have all of our schools come to watch! It'll be amazing! There would be lights, great special effects and everyone could listen to great music! We can even do a duet!"

Josh looked a little frightened when he saw the blond with stars in her eyes and light actually radiating off of her.

'She's letting out some of her ability. Damn. If I knew she was going to be like this, I wouldn't have suggested that.' Josh thought with a sigh. "I can't do that."

Snapping out of her thoughts, Alice gave him a confused look.

"Why not? It was your idea." The blond said, putting her hands back on her hips.

"No. _My _idea was to sing a song. _Your _idea is to put on a festival. Besides, I can't do it because I'm bad with crowds. I don't deal well with having the spotlight on me, or even having that many people paying attention to me. Not to mention that I suck at singing." He stood up and let out a sigh. "Not to mention that would require some dancing, and I also suck at that too."

"Oh, come on. You can't be _that _bad. Here, let me hear you sing. I'll judge whether or not you're good."

Josh let out a sigh and unplugged his earphones.

"Knowing your kind of people, I don't have much of a choice. Here." He gave his phone to her and she got a confused look. "Pick out a song and I'll sing to it."

Nodding her head, she picked a song and started to play it.

'Why did I have to open my big mouth?'

Hearing the music play, Josh let out a long sigh, closed his eyes and started to sing to it.

"J-just don't make fun of me or I'll hit you."

"Okay, okay, just start."

**Paper bags and plastic hearts  
>All are belongings in shopping carts<br>It's goodbye  
>But we got one more night<br>Let's get drunk and ride around  
>And make peace with an empty town<br>We can make it right**

**Throw it away  
>Forget yesterday<br>We'll make the great escape  
>We won't hear a word they say<br>They don't know us anyway  
>Watch it burn<br>Let it die  
>Cause we are finally free tonight<strong>

'At least he likes good music.' Alice thought as she saw the other getting more into the song. She let out a small giggle. 'He's definitely having fun.'

**Tonight will change our lives  
>It's so good to be by your side<br>We'll cry  
>We won't give up the fight<br>We'll scream loud at the top of our lungs  
>And they'll think it's just cause we're young<br>And we'll feel so alive**

**Throw it away  
>Forget yesterday<br>We'll make the great escape  
>We won't hear a word they say<br>They don't know us anyway  
>Watch it burn<br>Let it die  
>Cause we are finally free tonight<strong>

'He really isn't that bad. Maybe I could get him to do that duet...'

**All of the wasted time  
>The hours that were left behind<br>The answers that we'll never find  
>They don't mean a thing tonight<strong>

**Throw it away  
>Forget yesterday<br>We'll make the great escape  
>We won't hear a word they say<br>They don't know us anyway**

**Throw it away  
>Forget yesterday<br>We'll make the great escape  
>We won't hear a word they say<br>They don't know us anyway**

**Throw it away  
>Forget yesterday<br>We'll make the great escape  
>We won't hear a word they say<br>They don't know us anyway  
>Watch it burn<br>Let it die**

**Cause we are finally free tonight**

As the music ended, Josh opened his eyes and took his phone back.

For her part , Alice started to clap with an amused smile on her face.

Josh clicked his tongue and turned his head with some pink on his cheeks.

"You weren't that bad. Better than you think, that's for sure." The blond said, prompting the other to mutter something under his breath.

"Since you're so excited to make this a big show, I'm just going to go ahead and say you're great at singing and dancing."

This got a happy nod from the female, making him let out another sigh.

"Then how about this. We can go with the idea, but you do the singing and dancing while I deal with the special effects. How does that sound?"

"Well Rinka usually does that, but I guess it's fine." Alice muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Sounds like a great idea. But you do know that we don't have to do it if you don't want too."

Josh just shrugged his shoulders and let out a small sigh.

"It's fine. It gets us the grade and it makes you happy."

Hearing this, Alice got some pink on her cheeks.

"Wh-why would it matter to you if I'm happy or not?" She asked, turning around to hide her blush.

"It's too irritating to deal with someone who isn't happy. Even if it's still a little irritating to deal with an overly happy person too." Josh said with a sigh.

"Well we should get started then! Let's go!" Josh let out another sigh, but went with it anyways.

* * *

><p>"That was great. I think we really got the hang of it." Alice said as she and Josh walked to the school's entrance. "Sorry that I kept you this late. It's almost curfew, so I feel kinda bad."<p>

"It's fine. I can make it to my dorm quickly if I wanted too. Plus, since it's late, I won't have to deal with people on my way back." Josh said as he put an earphone in his ear.

"You didn't leave yet? I guess that's good for us."

The two turned around to see Rinka, Will, Takeshi and Senna walking up to them.

"So did you guys have a good time?" Will asked, getting a nod from the others.

"Hey...#2...Can I speak with you for a minute?" Rinka asked with a serious tone while eyeing Will.

Josh let out a sigh, but moved to the side.

"Look, I didn't do anything to Alice if that's-"

"No. She can handle herself just fine. What I wanted to talk to you about was your blond friend there." She said, still looking at Will.

"He's not my friend."

"Whatever. Is he your Right Hand?"

This got a confused look from the other.

"I'll just assume that's a yes. Well let me tell you that you should be careful around him. I'm sure he haven't told you about the Network or his involvement in it."

"Okay, what _exactly _is this Network thing? That stupid teleporter, Karui, and even that idiot in Judgment have said something about it. I want to know what the hell it is."

Now it was Rinka's turn to sigh.

"I don't really feel like explaining it. It's too long and we don't really have time. Maybe next time." The brunette said as she walked towards the rest of them.

"So what did you need to talk about?" Senna asked, still energetic.

"Nothing you need to worry about." Rinka said with a huff.

"Well we should get going. We'll see ya girls later." Josh said as the three males left.

"Rinka-chan, could it be that you like #2-san?"

Alice froze while Rinka got some pink on her cheeks.

"What are you talking about!? Why the heck would I like someone like him?" The brunette said, crossing her arms and turning away.

"Besides, I think she would look good with William." Alice said, making the two shoot their heads towards her.

"Nee-san!? What are _you _talking about!? How would we look good together!?" Rinka exclaimed, pink increasing.

"Hahaha! Rinka-chan is embarrassed!" Senna laughed out while Rinka's face went from pink to red.

"Shut up!"

"We should get going. It's pretty late and I'm tired from today." Alice said as she started to walk away. 'He is different from what I've heard. This time it's a good thing though.'

**_END CHAPTER_**

Song: The Great Escape

Artist: Boys Like Girls

**And there we go! I hope you enjoyed this chapter along with the song! You should tune in next time to see what happens! Have a nice day/night/evening and remember to stay safe and R&R! (Please! I'm begging you!... Just kidding!.) Until next time, sayonara memories! *gets tomato to the face***


	17. Chapter 17

**Number Seventeen for you all. No barracudas were harmed in the making of this chapter. I hope you (very few and very rare) people enjoy.**

**Disclaimer**: previous chapters (dance!)

**Chapter 17: **Tenshi no Hikari

'Let's see. Let's see. Where can I go today?' Josh was currently walking around the city with both his earphones in. 'Thankfully, Alice and I finished what we needed to. At least we don't have to start setting things up until Saturday.'

He felt a tap on his shoulder and saw said blond with a smile on her face. He took out an earbud and turned down his music.

"Hi. It's a nice day today, huh?" She asked as the two started to walk.

"Yeah. There's not many people here at this time and the air feels great too." Josh said as he took in a deep breath.

"I guess you would be sensitive to the air. It's odd seeing you take I'm a breath instead of letting one out." The blond said with a giggle as Josh let out a long sigh.

"So what are you doing out here? I would have thought that Rinka and Senna would be with you." The male said, looking around around for the two.

"Well they said that they were busy, so I decided to go out shopping." Seeing the other was going to say something, Alice cut him off. "I like to shop outside of School Garden from time to time."

Josh nodded his head.

"So what about you? Where is William and Takeshi?"

"You don't have to be so formal. You can just call us Will and Josh. To answer your question; Will said he was going to look something up and text me when he's done. As for Takeshi; Senna actually took him away a few minutes after we left School Orchard." Josh said with a sigh.

"Those two are so cute together." Alice said with another giggle. "So would you like to accompany me? If you don't have anything to do, that is."

"Sure. I'm fine with-" Josh froze and the two felt a shiver run down their spines. "Did you feel that?"

"Yeah. What was that?"

Josh looked around and went a little wide eyed. He quickly grabbed Alice's wrist and pulled her into a store. He looked out of the window and saw Kendel stop in front of the store and look around.

After a minute or two, she ran off in the other direction. Josh let out a sigh of relief and looked around. He saw that the store they were in was a jewelry store. He looked at Alice and saw that her face was red.

"Hey, are you okay? You don't look so good."

She just shook her head and looked down.

"I-I'm fine...But...um...Y-your hand..."

Looking down, he saw that he was still holding her wrist and quickly let go. He turned his head and muttered an apology.

"Oh, are you two customers?" The two turned to see a woman giving them a smile. "We are having a sale for lovely couples such as yourselves."

Alice went red again while Josh muttered something under his breath.

"For today, we have certain accessories that are half off for couples."

"We're not-" Josh was cut off by a small jab to the side.

"Thank you. We'll have a look around." Alice said with her own smile.

"Very well. When you have decided on something, just come up to the register and tell me." The woman said before bowing and taking her leave.

"We will, thank you." Alice said back. She turned to Josh and saw that he was giving her a questioning look. "Sorry. I've seen what they have in here and have always wanted something from here, but could never afford anything. Don't worry, I'll pay for my stuff."

Josh just let out a sigh, but went with it.

Alice went off to see different stuff and ended up looking at inside of a glass case a for a little bit.

"What is it?" Josh walked up and saw that she was looking at a heart shaped locket with a blue sapphire in the front of it and an orange topaz on the back. The color was gold and attached to a silver chain. "Do you want it?"

Alice stood up straight and let out a sigh.

"Yeah, but it's not on sale. I guess I can find something else." She turned around to find something else.

* * *

><p>'I think Rinka and Senna will like these.' Alice thought as she walked out of the store. She looked around and saw Josh wasn't around. 'Did he leave?' She heard the door open and looked back to see Josh walking out. "What were you doing in there?" That's when she saw that he has a bag in his hand. "You got something?"<p>

"Yeah." He put his hand in the bag and pulled out a small, black box. He extended his hand out and waited for her to take the box.

Alice took the box, opened it and saw the locket she was looking at on the store. She let out a gasp and covered he mouth.

"You said that you wanted it, so I just decided to get it."

"I...I can't believe you got this for me..." Alice said, a smile forming on her face. Getting over her shock, she put it on and did a pose. "So? How do I look?"

Josh just nodded his head with a small smile.

"So what else is in the bag?"

"Oh. I decided to get a gift for my neighbor. I figured she would like it."

Alice froze for a second and gave a forced smile.

"So...Is this girl you girlfriend or something?"

This got a weird look from the other.

"No. I just figured I'd do something nice. I mean, she has to deal with me on our way to and from school, so I figured I could get her a gift while I was here." Josh said as the two started to walk again.

"How sweet of you."

The male just clicked his tongue and put an earbud in.

"Josh..."

This got the other's attention.

"...Joshua...Hopper...Joshua Hopper... Hopper Joshua..."

The blond got a weird look from the other as she continued to say the name multiple times.

"I feel like I've heard your name before. I just can't remember where. It definitely wasn't in Academy City..."

"What are you talking about? If you think we've met before then you're wrong. Yesterday was when we met. There's no way that I would know you before hand. Even if it was before that..." He muttered the last part with a sour tone.

"What was that? I couldn't hear the last part."

The male shook his head while the blond got a pondering look.

"...Joshy...?"

"D-don't call me that."

Alice was shocked at the quick response, and turned to see the other looking away with some pink on his cheeks.

"...Sorry. I've only let a _very _small amount of people call me that."

"It's fine. I just wanted to test it out." Now it was the blond's turn to sigh. 'Although I think I was on to something there...'

"I'm starting to get hungry. Do you wanna get something to eat?" Hearing a small growl, Josh turned to the blond and saw she had a small blush on her cheeks. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Ya mind if I tag along?"

The two turned and saw that Karui was standing there.

Josh let out a sigh while Karui was giving a small glare at the two.

"I'm pretty sure we decided to become allies. So, why are you hanging out with someone you are going to have to fight? Even if you are the #2, I don't think you should be so lax around an enemy."

"Hm. Shows what you know. We aren't enemies. We also decided to become allies for the challenge so we don't have to worry about fighting each other." Alice said with a grin.

She saw the questioning look Josh was giving her, but gave him a small look in return.

"Is that true?" Karui asked, looking at the male teen.

He let out a long sigh and nodded his head.

"Fine. I guess I can't stop you from doing that. Either way, that doesn't mean _I _can't beat the crap out of you, little girl."

The two females ended up having a glaring contest while Josh swore he saw sparks clashing between the two.

'So irritating.' Josh let out a sigh and turned to leave. "Well I'm gonna go get something to eat. If you two want to come, then come on."

"Right. I'm sorry about that." Alice said as she followed.

"Don't need to tell me twice." Karui threw an arm around Josh's shoulder while Alice grabbed his arm.

'So very irritating.'

* * *

><p>'I can't believe these two needed to find 'the perfect place to eat.' Anywhere would have been fine, but no, we end up in a place I didn't even know existed until now.' Josh thought as he sat between Alice and Karui as the two we having a glaring contest. 'What's worse is that this is the underground mall. Such an irritation.' He let out a sigh.<p>

"This place looks so nice. Are you sure we should eat here?"

Recognizing the voice, Josh looked at the entrance to see Kei and a boy walking in the place. Letting out a small sigh of relief, Josh called her over, getting the other two's attention. The other two walked towards the three and Alice went a little stiff and seeing one of the two.

"Hey, Josh-kun. I didn't expect to see you here."

"I didn't expect to be here." Josh said, letting out a sigh.

"Hello, Flora-san." The other guy said, giving Alice a smile that she returned forcefully.

"Hello...Kanjō. It's nice to see you again." The blond said, hearing the snickering from Karui.

"Well you might as well take a seat."

Doing as they were told, Kei and Kanjō took their seats with Kei sitting next to Alice and Kanjō sitting between her and Josh.

"So what are you two doing here?"

"Oh. Kanjō-san said that he wanted to take me some place nice for lunch and we ended up here." Kei said, noticing some awkwardness in the air.

Josh also noticed it when he saw Alice and Karui still glaring, but now the blond was trying to stay out of sight from the new male. He mentally sighed and noticed something else. Kanjō was wearing the same school uniform as Will and Takeshi.

"So this guy is your partner for the project?" Josh asked, getting a nod from the other. "Oh yeah. I have something for you." He got the bag from before and took out a box.

Alice's attention was now towards the two.

He handed the box to Kei, noticing that the other three had their attention on the two.

"Thanks."

Taking the box, she opened it up and saw that it was a bracelet. It had ice crystals going all around it with a single heart connecting one end to the other.

"This is so pretty! Thank you for this, but where and why did you get this?"

"It must have cost a lot." Kanjō said, giving Josh a _very _obvious fake smile.

"Um...Well when we had to hide from Hans' little sister, we ended up in a jewelry shop that had some stuff on sale. I thought it would be nice to get you something for having to deal with me to and from school. I clearly couldn't get anything for Aki or Shinji, since it was a store for females." Josh said, sweating a little at all the tension in the air.

Kanjō was giving him a fake smile with him tensing up, Alice and Karui were glaring at each other, but now the blond looked like she was giving Kei a small, sour look. Meanwhile, Kei and Josh tried to seem uneffected by this, but couldn't help to gulp.

"Well we should probably order now! We _did _come here to each, after all!" Kei said, trying to sound chipper.

'...Originally yeah, but now...there might be a fight...' Josh thought as he let out a sigh. 'So irritating."

* * *

><p>"Well it's getting late. We should get going before curfew." Kei said as the group exited the underground mall.<p>

"Yeah. I'm kinda shocked that Rinka or the others have contacted us. I just hope that Rinka isn't mad when I get back." Alice said as she looked at her phone.

"I gotta get back to my guys. I'll be seeing ya. Later."

With that, Karui was gone, leaving the four on the sidewalk.

"I will also be heading back. It was a pleasure to meet you, Hopper-san. Always lovely to see you, Flora-san. I will see you later, Chie-san." Kanjō said before taking his leave.

"Yeah. I'll see you later." Kei said, giving a small wave.

'What's with that guy?' Both Level 5s thought as they shook their heads.

"Hey, Kei." The brunette turned to the blond. "Try and always be in a crowded place with that guy."

This got a confused look from the girl while Josh let out a sigh.

"He's kinda a playboy. He's been trying to hit on me for awhile now, but is usually scared off by Rinka. I've heard some nasty stories about him, so be carful."

"Okay. Thank you for the advice."

The blond nodded her head and started to walk away.

"I'll see you later, Josh."

"Yeah, see ya."

'Well I did have fun today. Although I am still wondering why neither of us got any messages from the others.' Alice thought as she continued to walk down the street. She felt a vibration in her pocket and took out her phone. 'Speaking of which...' She pressed the send button and put the phone to her ear. "Hello? What is it, Rinka?"

_"It's more challengers. They won't leave until you fight them. Can you _please _hurry up and get here?"_ The other said through the phone.

Alice let out a sigh and shook her head.

'I guess they don't want to fight the others. Oh well.' She thought as she put a finger to her forehead. "Fine. I'll be there in a little bit."

_"Alright. I'll see you in a little bit." _Just as Alice was about to hang up, Rinka continued to talk_. "Oh yeah. Have you figured out what song you were planning on singing, Nee-san?"_

"Yeah, but even you and Senna have to wait until then." The blond said as she heard a sigh through the phone.

_"Fine. I just don't like the thought of leaving any part to #2."_

Alice shook her head at her friend's behavior_._

"He has a name, you know." She heard a scoff and sighed. "I'll be there quickly. See ya."

_"Yeah. Bye."_

With that, the call was ended and the blond was gone in a flash of light.

* * *

><p>"Thank you again for this." Kei said as she and Josh stood in front of her door. "I really appreciate it, even if you didn't have to get it and it was just on a whim."<p>

"No problem. Like you said, it was on a whim. Besides, I find it better to show appreciation more to a female than a male. Aki and Shinji don't really need anything." Josh said with a small grin.

"Hm. If anyone deserves a treat, it would probably be Will-kun, Takeshi-kun and Hans-kun." The brunette said with a giggle.

"The first two I'm fine with, but no way in hell am I going to give that midget anything."

This got another giggle from the other.

"That reminds me. I still have to beat Will for telling Hans my Level. Oh well. I'll let him off the hook for the fact that it's probably spread to the whole city by now."

"Of course you wouldn't beat him, you two are friends."

Josh looked like he was about to say something, but was cut off. "Even if you won't say it."

The male gave a huff.

"Whatever. Think what you will, but I'm never going to call someone my friend."

Kei have a small sigh and shook her head.

"Either way, you are still nice to him and Takeshi-kun, compared to...Hans...kun." She got a glazed look in her eyes, a small blush and started to giggle.

'Why does she have to be one of them? So irritating.' Josh thought as he snapped his fingers in front of her. "Hello? Anyone there?"

"Oh! Right! Sorry." She scratch did the back of her head sheepishly while Josh shook his head with a sigh. "Well, I'm going to get some sleep. Let me to give you something in return for the bracelet, okay?"

This got a confused look from the other.

Kei took a step forwards and planted a kiss on his cheek, shocking him.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, she went inside.

Josh let out a small sigh and went through the other door.

'That was something...to say the least. I guess the scenery did seem like the time for something like that. I'm just wondering if he went from a shounen manga to a shoujo manga style.' He walked towards his bed, put his sweater at the foot of the bed and covered himself with the blanket. "So...odd."

**_END CHAPTER_**

**And there you go. Like always, I hope you enjoyed. Until next time, bye-onara!**


	18. Chapter 18

**And here is number eighteen. As usual, I don't have much to say. I hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **previous chapter and I don't own song

**Chapter 18: **Combination of Air and Light. Aero Lock and Illuminate!

"What's his problem?"

"He hasn't been in the story for this whole 'arc'. You can't really blame him."

"You aren't suppose to break the Fourth Wall, dumbass."

Josh, Will and Takeshi were walking down the sidewalk with Hans walking in front of them. The smaller blond had his arms crossed and head in the air.

"Not my fault." The taller blond said with a shrug.

Josh let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head.

"And what about us? I mean, we were only here in the first chapter of this 'arc' while Kei had last chapter!" Aki said with Shinji nodding his head.

"Stop breaking the Fourth Wall, you two." Kei said as she walked along like it wasn't an issue.

"At least you get _any _time." Hans said with a huff.

"This jackass is such an irritation." Josh said as he passed all of them. "If you don't hurry, I'm going to leave you people."

"You're lucky _we _don't leave _you_." Hans said as he passed the taller one.

"Oh yeah. I am just _so _lucky I get stuck with a blond midget who thinks he's the best. Sorry if I'm not as appreciative as you would like, your majesty." Josh said with a sarcastic tone and a small bow.

"So this little kid is the one that goes to Zunō? He's kinda cute too."

They all looked ahead to see Alice, Rinka and Senna in front of them.

"Hi, Take-kun!" Senna said, bouncing towards the youngest boy.

"...Hello...Kuro-san..." Takeshi said, getting some pink on his cheeks and not seeming to mind that Senna had grabbed his hand.

"What's this? Takeshi, I didn't know you two were together." Josh said with a grin while Alice gave a giggle, Will tried to hold some laughter in, Rinka gave a smirk and Hans, Kei, Aki and Shinji looked confused.

"We miss out on everything." Aki said with a dark cloud over his head.

Shinji patted his back in comfort while Kei was gushing at how the two youngest looked together.

"Who are you people?" Hans asked, looking at Alice and Rinka.

"Oh yeah. You haven't met them. This is Alice, Rinka and Senna. They're our partners for our project." Will explained as the three gave their greetings. "So what are you three doing here anyways?"

"Oh. Nee-san left something yesterday on her da-hmghtl!"

Before the brunette could continue, Alice had covered her mouth and gave a nervous laugh.

"I left something when Josh and I went for luch with some others yesterday. We needed to come back and get it." Alice said with a sheepish smile. She then turned her attention to Kei. "So it looks like you got away from him today."

"Yeah. Thanks again for that adv-"

"Flora Alice! You are Academy City's Fourth Ranked Esper and Tenshi Gakuen's Tenshi no Hikari! We are here to challenge you and prove that we are better!"

They all turned to see a large group of girls surrounding them.

"Who the hell are you people? Don't you know that it's kinda a jackass move to crowd around a group of people with less numbers than you? Plus, if you know her rank, why the hell are you pickin' a fight with her?" Josh asked as he looked around and saw that they really were surrounded.

"Be quiet! We know that you are one of the Second Ranks, but this has nothing to do with you! Please stay out of this or we will have to fight you too!" The girl said loudly, making some of them wince and cover their ears.

"You are such an irritating girl, ya know that?" Josh said with a sigh. He started to pull his hand out of his pocket, but was stopped by Alice. "Hm? What is it? Don't worry, I'll only knock 'em out."

"No need. I'm use to this stuff. I'll get it over with quickly, then we can go. Okay?"

The boys' eyes went wide when they saw a glowing rope appear in her hand.

"It'll be over in an instant." She rushed at the girls and they fell quickly.

"Such an irritation." Josh said, scratching his head again.

"You say that, but you know your impressed." Rinka said as she crossed her arms.

Josh nodded his head to the statement and continued to watch as girl after girl fell to the ground.

"This is Nee-san's ability. She can use light to make beams, blind others, etc. The thing she loves to do the most though is to solidify light and use it as a weapon. She can transform the light to whatever she wishes, so that's why she's a Level 5. Her power level is a testament to the fact that she's the strongest Light user in all of Academy City. That's also why she's Tenshi's Light and the Esper known as Illuminate."

"Sorry. That took longer than expected." They looked around and saw that all of the girls were on the floor and groaning. "Shall we be going then?" She started to walk away and the others quickly followed her.

"So what exactly was that about?" Will asked as the group separated a little.

In the front was Alice, Rinka, Kei, Josh and Will, while behind them was Hans, Takeshi, Senna, Aki and Shinji.

"Since Nee-san is a Level 5, there has been tons of other girl schools in School Garden that come over and challenge her, and sometimes the whole school, to see who's better. Nee-san always wins though." Rinka explained, getting nods from the other three.

"Now that I think about it, what is your ability?" Josh asked, looking at the brunette.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Rinka gave a smirk as Josh let out a sigh.

"So irritating."

"So what are your projects going to be?" Kei asked, changing the subject quickly.

"Josh and I are going to put on a small concert. I'll be singing while he does the effects. It'll be so amazing! I really, really, _really _can't wait!" Alice said with stars in her eyes.

"It's irritating to have to do it, but she's actually a really good singer and dancer, so it isn't too bad." Josh said nonchalantly, not seeing the sickly sweet smile coming from Kei.

"Ours is going to be us mixing our abilities together to create an effect that shows what our words mean." Will said, not seeing the skeptical look Rinka was giving him.

The blond was shocked when Alice took his hands in her own and hand light radiating off of her.

'Too bright!'

"You two _have _to be a part of our project! You can show your project as an effect to our and that way we can make the concert even better!" Alice exclaimed, getting skeptical looks from all of them.

"What about us? Can we be a part of this?" Aki asked as the group on the back came forward.

"Sure! The more the merrier!" Alice said with excitement. "Then you and Rinka can do a duet together! Oh this will be the best!"

Now all of them were looking a little freaked out.

"...Kowai..."

"You have no idea, dude." Josh said with a sigh as he shook his head. 'Even if it's irritating, seems like everyone's on board with this.'

* * *

><p>"Where is he? Where is he? Where is he?"<p>

"Nee-san, calm down. I'm sure he'll be here soon." Rinka said as she tried to calm the blond down.

"But what if he doesn't? We were suppose to be up first, but we have to do this as a team, so he _has _to be here." Alice said as she looked through the curtain and saw the students from all three schools there.

"Don't worry. How about you go last while we stall for time?" Rinka said, getting a nod from the other. The brunette started to walk out on stage with a sigh. 'And he says he's fast. Hm. So not true.'

'I hope he gets here soon.' Alice thought nervously.

"Hello everyone! How are you all doing today!?" The crowd was yelling and cheering while Rinka nodded her head with a smile on her face. "Well as I'm sure you all know this concert is for the school project we all had! There was only suppose to be one singer, but we decided to team up and give you guys and gals something more to watch! Now, are you all ready!?"

The cheering began again.

"Alright! First up we have Chie Kei and her partner for this, Taiyo Kanjō!"

After announcing the two, Rinka briskly walked backstage.

"He's still not here! What am I suppose to do now!?" Alice exclaimed, looking ready to pull her hair out.

"Nee-san, just calm down. Deep breaths. They only know that he was suppose to do the special effects. If we get someone else to do them, they won't know that it wasn't him." Rinka said, shaking the blond a little.

"Plus, we can always stall for time." Will said, walking up to the two.

Yhey saw that instead of his school uniform, he was dressed up in a blue dress shirt, black slacks, dress shoes and a blue bow tie.

"Wow. You look really good in that." Alice said, admiring the other blond.

"Thanks. I'm just glad that I get to wear something other than my school uniform." He then turned to the brunette. "We'll be up soon. You should probably get ready."

Nodding her head, Rinka left to get changed.

"So we after Aki and his partner are done, Rinka and I will go. He should be here by then."

"Thanks, Will. You really are a great friend." Alice said, making the other give a sheepish laugh while scratching the back of his head.

"It's nothing."

"Um...Hey...Can I ask you something?"

The male looked at the girl with a questioning look.

"Is it true that...that you connected Josh to the Network?"

The smile on Will's face fell and was replaced with a sad smile.

"Yeah. I did. Don't worry though...I plan on disconnecting him when I'm done with what I need to do." Will said, looking down in sadness.

"Why not just tell him? I'm sure he'll gladly help you." Alice said, giving Will a reassuring smile. "Especially to one of his closest friends."

"Hm. He said that he doesn't have any friends. But I guess you're right. I'll talk to him about it. Thanks, Alice." The two gave a smile to each other.

"Now we will have Jones William and Naru Rinka!" Aki said as the crowd went wild.

"Come on! We have to be on stage now!" Rinka said as she rushed out with Will.

The two walked towards the middle and faced the crowd.

Will took notice that Rinka had on a lavender dress and heels to match.

"Hello! For our project, William and I will be doing a dance that represents the words 'majestic' and 'aesthetic'! Now let's begin!"

The music started with guitars playing and the two started to tap their feet to the beat.

**Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell,**

**It was love from above, that could save me from hell,**

**She had fire in her soul it was easy to see,**

**how the devil himself could be pulled out of me,**

Rinka grabbed her dress and started to stomp on the ground while moving her hips back and forth. The sound resonated throughout the crowd.

**There were drums in the air as she started to dance,**

**Every soul in the room keeping time with there hands,**

She started to swirl around while Will started to clap with the rhythm.

**And we sang...**

For a brief moment they stopped and started going with it again. Rinka took Will's hand and they started moving from side to side.

**Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

**And the voices rang like the angels sing,**

They did a 180 turn with some electricity making a ring around them.

**We're singing...**

**Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

**And we danced on into the night,**

They backed up from each other, but still hand in hand.

**Ay oh ay oh,**

**Ay oh ay oh,**

**And we danced on into the night,**

They both slowed their pace and went in circles. The sound of electricity was made, but started to change and go along with the beat.

**Like a piece to the puzzle that falls into place,**

**You could tell how we felt from the look on our faces,**

**we was spinning in circles with the moon in our eyes,**

The two were now circling around the area with Rinka's left hand on Will's shoulder and his left hand on her hip.

**No room left to move in between you and I,**

**We forgot where we were and we lost track of time,**

**And we sang to the wind as we danced through the night,**

They started to pick up the pace again and went a little faster. Small amounts of electricity formed around the stage and started to move with the two.

**And we sang...**

**Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

**And the voices rang like the angels sing,**

With their right hands together and extended out, they started moving around with light, but quick steps.

**We're singing...**

**Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

**And we danced on into the night,**

Will lelt go of one of her hands, let her out and brought her back in with their hands still connected.

**Ay oh ay oh,**

**Ay oh ay oh,**

**And we danced on into the night,**

They did some quick few steps.

**Ay oh ay oh,**

**Ay oh ay oh,**

**And we danced on into the night,**

The two extended their arms, and started moving around the stage. They got to the center, Will let go of one hand and started to twirl Rinka around.

He wrapped her in his arm and twirled her while letting go of her hand. She was now the only one on the center and everyone was now clapping with the music. She took a quick breath, closed her eyes and started to move her feet with the rhythm. Like before, she grabbed her dress and started moving it around and started stomping on the floor will she did some twirls around.

**Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell,**

**It was love from above, that could save me from hell,**

She continued to dance like this around the area with everyone clapping. The different sounds started to come together and make a new, amazing sound.

**She had fire in her soul it was easy to see,**

**how the devil himself could be pulled out of me,**

The music slowed down a little and so did she.

**There were drums in the air as she started to dance,**

She let go of her dress and started to just spin around in circles with the dress and hair doing the same, making everyone else look at her in amazement.

**Every soul in the room keeping time with there hands,**

As the music started to pick up again, she grabbed Will's hand.

**And we sang...**

**Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

**And the voices rang like the angels sing,**

Now it was just a sequence of the two dancing around, hand-in-hand with the sound changing around them and electricity following their movements.

**We're singing...**

**Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

**And we danced on into the night,**

**Ay oh ay oh,**

**Ay oh ay oh,**

**And we danced on into the night,**

**(And the voices rang like the angels sing),**

Now everyone had their jaws dropping to the floor when they saw how smooth the two were dancing, without messing up or stepping on each other's toes.

**Ay oh ay oh,**

**Ay oh ay oh,**

**And we danced on into the night,**

The music started to slow down and now the two were in the center and just tapped their feet with the rhythm.

**Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

**(Ay oh ay oh),**

**Ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

**(Ay oh ay oh),**

**Singing ay oh ay oh ay oh ay,**

**(Ay oh ay oh),**

They raised their, connected, hands high in the air.

**And we danced on into the night...**

As the last part of the music ended, they did a deep bow. They straightend up and could be seen trying to catch their breath. They looked around and it was complete silence. Suddenly someone started clapping and the rest followed, making a huge uproar.

"Thank you all for your encouragement! We will be having a short intermission and afterwards get on with what you have all been waiting for! We'll see you back here in a little bit!"

The crowd started to move about as the two walked backstage.

"Wow! You two were amazing out there! So elegant, but sharp with those moves. It looked like I was watching he stars dance in the sky rather than two people on stage. And nice use of your abilities too." Alice praised as the two gave sheepish or embarrassed look.

"So he hasn't shown up yet?" Will asked as he looked around.

Alice shook her head as Rinka let out a sigh.

"Fine. I'll just do the special effects for this. You can just go out there and have fun, Nee-san." Rinka said as took her heels off. "Okay, first we'll start by-" She was interrupted by a very high-pitched sound.

The three covered their ears and shut their eyes in pain.

"What the heck is that sound!? It hurts my ears! I can't even counter it!"

"I don't know! It sounds like it's coming from the stage!" Will said as the three staggered to the curtain.

They walked out to see a massive amp on stage with some people around it. They looked to the side and saw the other students were also in pain.

"What's going on here!"

Alice walked up to the people.

"Who are you people!?" She asked as she tried to use her ability.

To her surprise, the light went in a completely different direction and hit a building.

"Sorry, girl, but this here is called Capacity Down! There's no way any of you little Espers can use your abilities!" A woman on the amp said over the sound.

"Why aren't you people affected by this thing!? And why are you doing this!?" Alice said as she tried to use her ability again.

"That's because we're Level 0s! It doesn't affect us since we have no abilities!"

A ray of light sped past her head, shocking her.

"Heh. Looks like you can still do something!"

She heard a creak and looked behind her to see the top of the stage had gotten hit and was swinging towards the three students.

"Hahaha! Looks like you attack backfired!"

"So irritating."

Before it could hit the three, the piece of metal stopped and stayed in place, shocking everyone. It then came completely off and flew towards the group of people. It hit some of them, knocking them back.

The woman jumped off the amp and looked forward, only to be surprised when it exploded after she got off.

Alice, Will, Rinka and the other students uncovered their ears and let out sighs of relief.

"I'm a little late and this is what ends up happening. I was already irritated, but now I'm getting kinda mad."

They all turned to see Josh walk into the stage.

"Wh-what the hell!? How could you use your ability? You shouldn't be able too! What the hell are you!?" The woman exclaimed, not getting an answer.

Josh got a smirk on his lips and put his hand to his ear.

"Sorry, but I can't hear what your saying."

They saw that he had his earphones in both his ears. He took them out with a sigh and put them in his pocket.

"Whatever. I don't like to beat up people who are lower than Level 3, but I guess I need to pay you back for recking the stage." He stuck his arm and and kept the smirk in place. "Now come and attack me."

"Wait. I'm going to help too. This'll be revenge for doing this." Alice said as she walked next to Josh. "Rinka, I want you and Will to make sure everyone's okay. Just leave these people to us."

"Alright. Just leave it to us."

The two jumped off the stage and started to move the students out of the area.

"I can handle them myself. I don't need any help." Josh said as he dodged a punch from one of them and kicked him in the stomach.

"I know, but sometimes it's nice to let loose, you know?" Alice said as she shot one with a light ray.

Josh let out a sigh as he moved his hand to knock some away with wind.

"And you should stop with the sighing."

"You too? Everyone says that to me. So irritating." He snapped his fingers and blew some back with a small explosion. "I don't get why."

A light ray went past his head, hitting one of them and knocking them out.

"Thanks, but I could have dodged that."

"So much for appreciation. And people probably tell you that because that's all you do."

She kicked behind herself and got one in the stomach. She quickly spun around and got more coming towards her. The two end up back to back after hitting more.

"Whatever. You wanna try a combo move? I have a little too much energy right now." Josh said as the rest of the gang started to crowd around them.

"Sure. What do you have in mind?" Alice asked, ready to fight again.

"Just follow my lead."

Josh stood up straight, took a deep breath and put his hands down. He started to move his hand in a circular motion as wind started to pick up. The wind went around his hands and he swung them across his body.

Alice had solidified some light that was now moving with the swirling vortex.

Josh lifted his hands and the huge amount of wind shot into the air. He brought his arms down and swing them across his body again. The wind followed by falling to the ground before going to the side and hitting every person in its way. All of the gang was flung across the area and landed on the ground with thuds.

"Not bad. I didn't expect that it would work, but I'm glad I was wrong." Alice said as she saw all the unconscious bodies.

"Same here. Well after Anti-Skill gets these jackasses, we can continue on with this little on with this little concert."

The blond nodded her head with a smile.

**_END CHAPTER_**

_Song: Into the Night_

_Artist: Nickelback_

**And there you have it, folks. Sorry if the dance and ending sucked. I actually borrowed the dance from someone and tweaked it a little bit. I still hope you enjoyed it though. Next chapter will be the end of the Angel Esper 'arc'. After this one, we get to something fun. After _that _one we get to something that I will love to make. And remember that it would be nice for you to R&R. Until next time, bye-onara!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter nineteen up and ready for you all! I hope you enjoy it if you actually made it this far! Now let's get this started!**

**Disclaimer: **previous chapters

**Chapter 19: **A Song for Beauty and Pride

"Thanks for the help. It's a good thing you came when you did." Alice said as the gang was taken away by Anti-Skill.

"No problem. I find it funny that you almost hit you and the other two with that attack of your." Josh said with a smirk while Alice looked embarrassed. "But it was irritating to have to deal with them in the first place."

"Either way, you did a good job. No one besides these guys got hurt. That's kinda surprising when you're involved."

The two turned to see Josh's teacher.

The teen let out a sigh while the teach let out a laugh.

"Still a good job though."

"Do you two know each other?" Alice asked, looking between the two.

"Yes. Hello, my name is Rō Chitose. I am his teacher for his Esper class. It's nice to meet you, young lady. Or rather, re-meet you." The older man said with a small bow.

"It's nice to meet you too, sir." Alice said with her own little bow.

"Watch out. This guy is a lolicon." Josh said with a sigh.

He went wide eyed when he was caught in a chokehold by said guy.

"Don't believe this brat. I just prefer a younger female's company." The man said as Josh tried to get out of his grasp.

"Um...yeah. I'm sure..." Alice said with a sweat-drop. 'So much for making a good impression.'

That's when she saw that Josh had passed out and was now laying on the floor.

"Well we should get back to everyone and tell them that everything's fine now."

"Yeah. These idiots will be in prison for a long time. We'll be taking our leave now. Have a nice day." Chitose said as he walked away.

'He even gets along with his teachers. That's kinda funny.' The blond thought as she saw Josh laying on the ground. "Well I guess we should get going too."

* * *

><p>"I'm really glad you're alright, Nee-san. We did as you wanted and got everyone out." Rinka said as she and Will walked up to the two Level 5s.<p>

"Thank you, Rinka. I really appreciate it." Alice said as she looked around. "Well nothing other then the stage was messed up. It will probably take awhile to fix it. What will we tell everyone else?"

"We can just tell them to come back later."

The other three turned their attention to Josh as he let out a sigh.

"We can fix it now and tell everyone else when it's done. When they come back, we can do our part. Besides, I would still need time to set everything up."

"He's right. It's the best thing we've got right now." Will said, getting nods from the two girls. "I'll go tell everyone while you guys get started." With that he took his leave.

"So why were you late anyways? You shouldn't have kept Nee-san and everyone waiting like that." Rinka said, putting her hands on her hips.

"What's it matter? If it wasn't late, I wouldn't have been able to blow up the amp."

The brunette still didn't look appeased.

Josh let out a sigh and continued.

"I also needed to get everything that we need for our turn. I was late because there was quit a bit of stuff."

Now it was Rinka's turn to sigh as she shook her head.

"Whatever. Just get your stuff set up while we work on the stage."

The male nodded as he left.

"I wonder what he needed to bring that he was late for." Alice said with a pondering look. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be great."

* * *

><p>"Wow! Everyone did come back." Alice said happily as she looked through the red curtain.<p>

"Of course. They wanted to see you sing and finish this little concert. I'm not shocked to see that they're here." Josh said as he had his arms crossed over his arms. "By the way, where is everyone? I didn't see them here."

"Oh. They're in the front rows. They were done with theirs, so they didn't have a reason to be back here." Alice said as she pointed to the group in the front. "You have no idea what it took to get Rinka there instead of back here."

"I'm sure I can guess."

"Hey, before we start...can I ask you something?"

This got a curious look, so she continued.

"Well I told Karui that we were allies and that we wouldn't fight each other during the challenge, but I never actually asked you. So, Joshua, will you be my ally for the Level 5 Challenge?" Alice asked with a serious look.

"Sure. If I didn't want to be then I would have said something when you first said it." Josh said with a small smile while Alice got a smile of her own.

"Let's both do our best not to lose."

The other nodded his head.

"You should go out there now. If you don't, I think they'll start a riot."

Alice nodded her head and ran out to the stage while Josh disappeared.

"Hello everyone! Here is what you have you all been waiting for! I shall be singing a song for you all that represents both 'pride' and 'beauty'! I hope you all enjoy!"

The crowd went wild when the music started up.

Alice looked a little shocked and looked out to see Josh giving her a thumbs up.

The lights started to turn different colors and were going crazy around the area as the blond started to sing.

**koko ni ikiru sono wake mo**

**kono basho de deau subete mo**

**tatoe chigau sekai demo**

**doko ni itemo kono omoi wa yuruganai**

Alice slowly moved her arm above her in an arch.

The lights moved slower, but in a more majestic way. They started to blink on and off.

**mune wo CHIKURI to sasu itami**

**sore wo warau shiawase na mono tachi e**

**se wo mukeyuku**

The lights flashed on and off at certain points in the audience. The crowd was amazed at the strobe lights.

**touzen no kurushimi wo unmei ga sasou**

**furuedasu ashi ga oboeteru…kakushin ni**

**yume dake ja mamorenai**

**tayoranai chikara**

**ima kono te ga shiru kara mayowana**

Some pink petals started to appear above the whole area and were moving in air.

The lights hit them and made an amazing effect.

**dare mo ga shiru yorokobi to**

**kono mune ga satoru kotae ga**

**tatoe chigau mirai demo**

**doko e yuku mo kono omoi wa yuruganai**

As the singing went on a pause again, the petals swirled around Alice and the ones above the crowd ignited and were set ablaze. The flaming flowers circled around the audience.

**nani mo motazu ni susunde iku**

**karada juu ni matou GARAKUTA ni**

**madowasarenu youni**

The lights did quick flashes with Alice doing some poses along with them.

**hyaku, sen no hitsujou mo guuzen ga masaru**

**hate wo miru hitomi wo korashite…tobikoeru**

**taiman na negai nado ikutsu mo iranai**

**ko no honshin wa kaesu sezoku made**

The flaming petals collided into each other and made a fire that started to move around in the air.

It made different designs as water started to for, under it.

The flames flew high into the sky and fell down, into the water. The area was covered in steam that made the scene between it and the lights even better.

**touzen no kurushimi wo unmei ga sasou**

**furuedasu ashi ga oboeteru…kakushin ni**

There was a gust of wind and the steam seemed to stay still for a moment as a spotlight went on Alice.

**tengoku ka? jigoku ka? wa soko ni mukae**

The steam was gone in an instant with the lights going crazy again as more, different colored petals appeared in the sky and seemed to dance around the audience.

**saa ima subete wo shiru kara.**

The light going around the stage and audience started to move more freely and travel around the audience, making the petals stand out more.

The lights created multiple images in the sky.

**ima kono te ga shiru kara mayowanai**

As the music continued, Alice started to weave around the stage in a dance. Her movements were followed by the light and the petals.

As the song ended, the light settled down and the petals fell to the ground slowly and gracefully.

When the song was complete done, the crowd went into a frenzy, making loud shouts.

Alice gave a wave to the crowd as she walked off stage. When she got to the back, she saw Josh standing there.

"That went better than I thought." He said with a grin.

"Not that I mind, but what was with the song?" Alice asked, giving a confused look.

"Oh. It was a remix of the song we picked. I thought it would work better with the effects." Josh said, getting a nod from the other. "It made it better when you used your ability with it."

"Nee-san, that was great!"

The two turned to see the others going towards them.

"Those were some nice effects too." Will said, looking at his friend.

"Thanks. We're glad you enjoyed the performance!" The female blond said with a big smile.

That's when they started to hear a loud noise.

They looked past the curtain and saw the crowd was still going strong and asking for an encore.

"What do we do?"

"I doubt they'll take a no. So irritating." Josh said with a sigh. "We might as well give them what they want. I'm sure we can make do with what we have for effects."

"Alright then. Let's do this!"

"Yeah!"

"So irritatingly loud."

* * *

><p>"Last night was so fun." Alice said as she sat outside of a small café.<p>

"It did have some good music." Josh said from across the table.

"So why did you call me out here? I'm not trying to sound rude or anything, but I would figure you would think it would be 'too irritating' to walk over here." The blond said with a giggle as the other sighed.

"I needed to ask you a question. What do you know about the First Rank's ability? I've been trying to figure it out since I last saw him. I know he can use air pressure, but I doubt it's just wind manipulation." Josh said with a pondering look. He scrunched up his face in thought and had a serious look on his face. "I already know that you use Light Manipulation, Karui uses Shadow Manipulation, somehow, Keith uses Teleportation, I obviously use Air Manipulation, but I still don't know what Mugen and the Third Ranked use."

"First I need to tell you that you are wrong about Karui. She doesn't use Shadow Manipulation." Alice said with a solemn expression.

"What? But I fought against her. There's no way that wasn't Shadow Manipulation."

Alice let out a sigh and shook her head.

"Technically, it is Shadow Manipulation, but it's also not. You see, she actually make illusions."

"Illusions? I didn't get that feeling before."

"That's because her illusions are so real that it somehow becomes reality. The problem for her is that she can only do that with shadows. Meaning-"

"Meaning that she can only make shadows move with her illusions."

"Exactly. It has something to do with her Personal Reality. I'm not too sure."

"Wow. You know a lot about her, huh?"

"Yeah, but... That's a story I don't want to tell."

Josh noticed the sad look Alice now had and let out a sigh.

"Let's just move on then."

"Right. I'm not sure about the Third Ranked, but I can tell you about the First Ranked. He uses Pressure Manipulation."

This got a shocked look from the other.

"It's a vicious ability that can and will destroy anything. No one has tried to go against him because he doesn't give a second thought about beating them. He doesn't seem to have a certain goal in mind and, like most us Level 5s, is fine with where he stands. He doesn't go for something big and is fine with being staying at Level 5. The only problem is that he will fight just to prove that he's the strongest. As long as there is someone to fight, he's fine as long as he's winning."

"What an irritating jackass. So that's why he attacked me and Keith the other day? He just wanted to show that he was stronger? Clearly he hates to lose or he wouldn't have done that when we had just gotten done fighting each other." Josh said with a ticked off look. He took a drink from his cup and let out a sigh. "So why can't you tell me about the Third Rank's ability? From what I know, both you and Karui have fought him before in a Level 5 Challenge."

"Oh. You've heard about that."

This got a nod, causing the blond to sigh this time.

"Yeah. We fought him before. But, we couldn't really get what his ability was. We found out that it was probably a reflection ability, but the way he used it was odd. He never seemed to try and dodge or anything. What's also weird is that he would always have these little rods with him. That's all I can say about him. Academy City had dubbed his ability Counter. He ended up taking the #3 spot from Karui and afterwards I took her #4 spot."

"Hm~~ Well that sucks. So basically I'll have to go against that idiot Teleporter, the stupid #1, and that smartass from Zunō." He let out a tired sigh, but gave the blond a small smile. "I guess it is kinda nice to know that I won't have to fight you or Karui."

"Y-yeah. Same. It's good to know that we're on the same side..." Alice said, looking down with some pink on her cheeks. "Well I guess we better get going before anyone gets the wrong idea."

The two stood up and shook hands.

"I look forward to teaming up with you again."

"Same here."

Josh was a little shocked when Alice got a little closer and planted a small kiss on his cheek.

"That was a thank you. I'll see you later." The blond said before leaving.

'Deja vú...'

**_END CHAPTER_**

_Song: PSI Missing (2011 remix)_

_Artist: Kawada Mami_

**And there you have it. Sorry if the song part sucked and if this chapter seemed short. But now we're done with the Angel Esper 'arc' and move on to a new one. I hope you stay and enjoy the rest of this. Remember to R&R and check out my new fic. Until next time, bye-onara!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Ello ello ello! How are you? For those of you who like the dub of Index, have you seen the movie in dub yet? They actually put the songs in English, which I have mixed feelings about. Well here is the twentieth chapter, please enjoy. This isn't much of a chapter though. Have fun!**

**Disclaimer: **Previous Chapters

**Chapter 20: **Something Interesting

"Why does school have to be so boring?" Josh asked as he and Kei walked towards their dorm.

"Maybe because you don't actually pay attention in class." The brunette said with a grin.

"Say what you want, but I can't deal with class without nodding off. Not my fault that half my teachers are boring?" The male said as they reached the building.

"Really? Last I checked, both Aki-kun and Shinji-kun don't fall asleep in those classes." Kei said with a small laugh as the other sighed.

When they got to their rooms, they saw that there was a man standing in front of Josh's room.

"Excuse me you two, but would one of you two happen to be #2-san?" The man asked with a serious look on his face.

The two looked at each other and Josh let out a sigh.

"That would be me. What do you want? I don't feel like fighting right now, so if you could-" He was cut off by the man.

"I have no intentions of fighting with you. My instructions were to get you and bring you with me." The man said, getting a curious look from the two.

"And if I say no?" Josh asked, getting ready to do something.

"This order has come straight from the Board of Directors. It would be very unwise to go against them."

Josh let out a long sigh and agreed to go.

"Very good. Now please follow me."

"Hold up, dude. Let me change first. I don't like wearing this uniform." The younger male said as he walked towards his door.

The man didn't move from his spot, making Josh sign again.

"Look, I'm not gonna run away or something. It would be too irritating to have someone chasing me. I'm just gonna change and I'll be right out."

After a few seconds, the man moved from his spot.

"Thanks."

"Josh-kun..."

He looked back and saw Kei giving him a worried look.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine."

She gave a hesitant nod and went to her own room.

* * *

><p>"This is the room." The man said as he and Josh stopped in front of a door. "Just walk in there and my boss will explain to you what we need."<p>

The man took his leave as Josh sighed and opened the door.

"Oh great. You didn't tell me I have to deal with this guy."

Looking forward, Josh saw Keith standing in front of a desk and looking back at him.

"...Hell no."

With that, Josh walked out and closed the door.

He ended up finding himself back in the room and on his back.

"Uncalled for, Lower #2."

"Not my fault you're stupid." Keith said casually as he turned to the person at the desk.

Standing up, Josh slammed his fist onto the other's head and stood next to him.

"Before you start a fight in here, let me remind the both of you that you will be severely punished if you fight before the designated time."

They both turned to the man at the desk. He had brown, slick backed hair and was wearing a suit.

"You can try, but I'll just kick your ass too." The two teens said at the same time before landing a punch on each other's face.

"I'm not talking about form me. I'm talking about the top dogs of Academy City. Don't forget that I am a part of the Board of Directors. With our combined power, we could erase both of you from existence."

The two turned from glaring at each other to giving the man a dark look.

"What was that? Did you say that you could erase the both of us?" The two said, letting some of their power out. "I dare you to try it and continue to live afterwards."

The man looked unfazed by this and snapped his fingers.

The two went wide eyed when they felt some of their energy gone.

"What the hell was that?" Josh asked as he stopped his ability.

Keith just glared harder at the man.

"Don't use them like that. Even connected to the Network, we can still kick the crap out of you." The blond said, getting a confused look from Josh and a smug look from the man.

"I guess you're right about that. Now why don't we forget the incident that just occurred and talk about why I brought you two here, shall we?"

The two paid attention, but were on guard.

"There are actually two reasons why you are here. The first is that we have a request for you two. We would like you two and your groups to take a little trip to certain countries and figure something out for us."

"Huh? What's this 'something'? If you remember, we aren't a part of the Dark Side of Academy City and don't belong to any organization. We still do what we want." Keith said with a serious look.

"Oh no. It's nothing bad. You see, we have gotten some information that there are some, how do I put it...'creatures' in certain parts of the world."

This got a confused look from the two.

"What I mean about that is people have been talking about mythical creatures inhabiting their area. We, as a city filled with science, have decided to send some people there to prove that they have nothing to worry about. That's why we would like you two and your groups to go and put a stop to these rumors by proving that there is nothing to worry about."

"Ha! When the hell did Academy City become an agency to uncover myths? Why don't you just mind your own business and let them deal with their own problems?" Keith asked while Josh let out a sigh. "It's not like it matters to us whether or not these things exist. Besides, why send two Level 5s to do something like this?"

"You see, some have claimed that there are stuff like a dragon running amuck or a vampire in the old Castle Dracula. Knowing the lore behind such creatures has led us to the idea of using a Level 5 to show the world how strong Acadmy City's finest are." The man said with a smirk that was hidden behind his folded hands.

"Hm. You say that like you believe in those things." Josh said with a suspicious look.

"Of course not. We simply want to show the greatness of Academy City and it's lovely students." The man said, smirk never leaving.

Keith clicked his tongue and got a mad look on his face.

"Yeah, sure. So great is Academy City that the higher ups decide to use something like the Network to subjugate their elite."

This got a curious look from Josh.

"You are still on that? Remember, they all decided to do it themselves."

The two were surprised when Keith slammed his hand on the desk, making it give a creaking sound.

"They did it to help people, but you bastards tricked them and made it so their lives exist only to make us stronger! If it wasn't for us, they would all be dead! Don't give me that crap about them wanting to do that out of their own free will!" The blond exclaimed.

Josh looked shocked while the man kept a neutral expression.

"It's true that we tricked most of them, but there is that one that knew exactly what he was getting himself into. He could have easily told the others, but he decided against it for whatever reason." The man said while he had a small glaring contest with the blond. "If I recall, you were all for the experiment and was the first one to be tested on. Now look at you, one of the two Second Ranked Espers in Academy City. You of all people should be grateful for what happened."

"Look, can we get back to this thing you want us to do? You've digressed twice now from it. There's also that other thing you want from us. Tell us right now or I'm leaving and you two can have your little argument." Josh said with a bored look. "I'm fine with going, but only on two conditions."

"I don't believe that was part of what we discussed." The man said, making Josh give him a small glare.

"I don't care. Either agree with these two conditions, or you can forget about me helping out in this stupidity. Besides, you can say that you're 'showing Academy City's finest' all you want, but I can say that it's bullshit seeing as how I was born with my ability. You haven't done anything to get me to this level."

Now it was a simple staring contest between the man and Josh.

The man sighed and shook his head, but gestured the teen to continued.

"The first is that we get excused for all the homework we would miss by going."

"I'm sure that can be arranged. And what is this second condition?" The man asked, already thinking of the answer.

"When we get back, I want to know anything and everything about this Network thing I keep hearing about. I've apparently been connected to it and would like to know about it. Not to mention it might involve so done I know and would rather make sure they aren't hurt. If these two conditions aren't met then we have some problems."

Hearing this, Keith looked a little shocked while the man gave a grin.

His grin quickly turned into chuckling that turned into laughter.

"Very well. You have a deal, Aero Lock. Those two conditions will be met by the time you return." The man then turned his attention back to the blond. "And you, Insta-ppear?"

They heard a noise and turned to see Josh covering his mouth.

"And what is so funny?"

"They gave you the title Insta-Pear!? That's so lame!" Josh exclaimed as he laughed out, making Keith looking ready to hit him.

"Shut the hell up!" The blond turned to the man. "I'll only do it if you change this guy's title! And why the hell does he get that nickname anyways!? Wasn't that a self appointed name!?"

"Yes. He gave himself that name, but we found that it was befitting of him, so we allowed him to keep it." The man said with an amused look. "And very well. When you come back, we will have a new nickname for him."

"So what was that other thing you were talking about?" Josh asked, not caring about the other's tantrum.

"Oh, that. Well we will be doing an experiment with all of the Level 5s. We have already spoken to the others about this. We have a present for the both of you." The man said as he pulled out a box. He opened it up to show a pair of earphones and a necklace. "We would like for you to pick one."

Josh went for the earphones while Keith grabbed the necklace.

The two felt a prick on their skin and felt themselves grow a little weak.

"What the hell was that?" Josh asked as he tried the earphones out.

"These are special items that will stunt you abilities. We want to see if you can grow stronger while having yourselves being restrained. If you are in a dire situation, just hold those and say 'Present. Please.' Your full ability will be given back to you for the duration of that time. If you try and use it any other time, it won't work."

'Why the hell did we agree to even see this guy?' They both thought as they looked over the item.

"Your flight leaves in three hours. Make sure that everything is ready while we contact you respective groups. Farewell you two." The man said before pressing a button.

The two fell through a hole in the floor with a scream.

'Always gets them.'

* * *

><p>"This is so very irritating. I could be sleeping right now, but I decided to make a stupid decision. Why didn't I just tell him to go fu-"<p>

"Hey, Josh!"

The teen turned around to see Will and Takeshi walk up to him.

"So we get to go on vacation? This'll be fun!" The blond said happily while Takeshi gave Josh a questioning look.

"Unfortunately, it's not a vacation. We have to go to some countries and see what the hell is going on. Apparently there are some mythical creatures running around. Keith and I are stuck doing this because the higher ups are greedy pigs. You guys got stuck being here because you're a part of our 'group'. Sorry about that." Josh said with a sincere look.

"It's fine. We don't mind at all. We get to see other countries after all!" Will said with a smile, making the other two get their own small smiles.

"That's where I have to disagree with you."

They saw Hans walk up to them with a mad look.

"I would rather stay here and continue to go to school, but for some reason I have to go too." He gave a glare towards Josh who just ignored him. "It's your fault that I have to stop my learning to help with some idiotic thing like mythical creatures."

"Just shut up. None of us want to go to do work. I'm sure we would all like to laze around here rather than go for a stupid reason likes dragons and goblins that clearly don't exist." Dai said as Keith and his group walked up to them.

"I'm fine with going. I get to show what I can do."

The first four looked and saw a boy with black hair that they haven't seen before.

"Who's this guy? A newbie in your group?" Josh asked, looking at Keith.

"Don't remind me. He just came one day and is sticking around no matter if we beat him or threaten to kill him. This loser has an annoying ability." The blond said, giving a distasful look towards the new comer.

"Well I'm glad I have my music then." Josh said as he put an earphone in.

"Would you happen to be the Level 5 Espers?"

The two turned to see a man with glasses and a suit on.

"I am here to lead you to the plane you will be taking."

"Yeah, we're them." Josh said as he turned down his music. "Hey guys, we're leaving!" He called back as the two followed the guy. 'I have a feeling that this will the biggest irritation I've had in a long time.'

**_END CHAPTER_**

**And here's the start of the new 'arc'. I like to call it the Creatures 'Arc'. I really hope you enjoy it. So far it will be the longest 'arc' until I get to later ones. Besides that, I have nothing else to say. Until next time, sayonara!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hope you enjoy, yada, yada, yada. I thank all you rare people who actually read this fic, yada, yada, yada. Disclaimed in previous chapters, blah, blah, blah. Again, enjoy.**

**Chapter 21: **In Search

"So where is our first stop?" Will asked, looking at the man in the suit.

"Our first stop is an island near the Mediterranean Sea. From what we have heard, there is a forest there that house golems within it." The man said, not seeming to care what was going in in the plane.

Josh was on his phone with both earbuds in, Keith looked like he was scheming something, Donald looked ready to attack Will, Will looked ready to get away from Donald, Hans was busy giving a lecture while Yuji and Masumi were trying, but failing, to ignore the small blond. The only normal looking ones where Dai and Takeshi as the older one was just looking out the window and the younger one was asleep next to Josh.

"Golems? You mean like robots or something?" The Will asked, trying not to seem intimidated by Donald's glare.

"No. I mean the creatures that have come to life by unknown means and are made out of different substances." The man said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I still find it rather irritating that we even have to do this. What makes it worse is the fact that I have to have this on me at all times." Josh said as he fixed the earphones. "It sucks that they restricted our abilities. I thought they wanted us to get stronger to show 'just how great Academy City really is'...Or some crap like that."

"That is exactly why we're restraining your abilities." The man said, getting some of their attention. "If you are able to get as strong as you were before having your abilities sealed, when you undo the restraints your power will be even higher. This is more true if you get stronger than before. We really are only trying to benefit ourselves, but you Level 5s get some benefit as well."

"I still think it's messed up that they would do that. It just shows that the Board of Directors are a bunch of greedy pigs." Keith said as he fiddled with his necklace. "At least this thing is pretty cool looking."

"Yes, well, if you do not like the Board then I think you will hate the Chairman seeing as he is the one who came up with this idea."

Josh let out a sigh and put his head on the back of his seat.

"Whatever. I think I'll go with Takeshi's idea and get some sleep before we get there. If anyone wakes me up before that, you'll explode." He said before putting his other earphone in and going to sleep.

* * *

><p>"So this is the place? Looks kinda small to have both a big forest and a town or village here. You sure this is where it is?" Donald as as they looked out of the window.<p>

"We are quit certain. Now I think it's time that you all go."

They all gave him a questioning look, but were shocked when the back of the plane opened up.

"What the hell!"

They all went flying out screaming.

"Have a safe trip!" The man called out.

"Screw you!" Some of them yelled out.

"How the hell can he still be asleep!?" Donald yelled, pointing to Josh. "Somebody wake him up!"

Just as he said that, the other make opened his eyes. After a few seconds of looking around he let out a tired sigh.

"What the hell is going on here!?" He yelled as wind started to go around his feet.

He ended up slowing down and was just floating. He then went and grabbed Will and Takeshi as they were falling. Hans started to float too while Will let out a sigh of relief. Keith had grabbed onto Donald and Yuji's arm before disappearing.

"What about me!?" Masumi yelled as both Dai and Josh sighed.

Dai touched his own leg that made a blue tint go around the whole area before he was also gone.

'What a jackass. Like hell I want to deal with him.' Josh thought before he went a little faster.

He and the other two quickly got to the ground.

"Hey! I don't want to deal with this guy!" Hans yelled as he pointed to the other boy.

He still used his ability to keep Masumi from falling to his death.

* * *

><p>'I am so going to kill him the next time I see him.' Most of the group thought while they waited for Hans and Masumi to land.<p>

"Hey, I have a question. Where did that other guy go?" Will asked, getting a confused look from the others.

"...He means the new person..." Takeshi said while looking down.

"Oh yeah. Him. I didn't know or really care." The others said at the same time.

The two just sweat-dropped at this while the last two finally landed.

"It's about time. You guys are so slow." Josh said while Hans looked ready to hit something.

"Let's just get on with this thing before I hurt someone." The small blond said through gritted teeth.

"So where exactly is this place? I didn't see any inhabited place for people to live from the plane." Donald said as he looked around.

"I'll see if I can find it." Josh said as he closed his eyes. He let out some wind and opened his eyes. "...5...20...33...59...Hm... That's weird."

"What? Did you find something out?" Will asked as Josh got a pondering look.

"I didn't find any place with a person, but I did find something odd. Come on." He started to walk away with only Will and Takeshi following.

"I'm not taking order from you. We'll go this way." Keith said as he walked in a different direction.

"Whatever. I don't care if you listen to me or not." He then turned his attention to Hans. "So what about you?"

"I won't be taking orders from either of you. I'll be going my own way." The small teen said as he started to walk away.

"Have it your way." Josh shrugged his shoulders and started to walk away. He noticed that Will was hesitant and looked where Hans went. He let out a sigh and turned back. "Go with him so he doesn't get lost."

Nodding his head, Will went to go catch up with the other blond.

"Come on, Takeshi. We'll meet up with them later."

"...Okay..."

"Maybe we should split up too. It could get things done faster." Dai said, looking at Keith.

"Do what you want. I'm going this way, so follow if you want."

Nodding his head, Dai turned to Yuji and Masumi.

"Two come with me. We'll go this way and meet up with them when we find something."

Yuji nodded his head, but Masumi still followed Keith.

"Masumi, just go with them." The Level 5 said, not even turning back.

"Yes, sir." Flowing the orders, Masumi went with the other two.

'Stinkin' fanboy.' The other two thought.

* * *

><p>"Why are we stuck helping anyways? I don't remember ever being a part of that idiot's 'group'. Besides, I still haven't forgiven him for last time." Hans said as he stomped through the forest.<p>

"I don't see why you're so mad about that. It doesn't really matter if he's a Level 5 or not. I think you're just a little jealous, maybe." Will said, making Hans shoot his head towards the other.

"Jealous of that idiot!? Yeah right! Between the four of us, he's the only one that isn't smart enough to be in School Orchard! He's just a commoner who happens to be lucky enough to get that power!" Hans exclaimed with his face starting to turn red.

"Okay, okay, calm down. I was only kidding. Either way, it doesn't really matter if he's in School Orchard or not. He's still pretty smart and we're his friends, so we have to forgive and forget."

This seemed to agitated the other even more.

"I never said I was his friend! I said that I am _your _friend! I'm fine with being Takeshi's friend and the others' friend, but there's no way I'm going to be his friend! He's a Level 5, so he's arrogant and thinks he's the best! I would rather break my bones than call him my friend!"

Will was taken back by this, but stayed quiet.

"All Level 5s are like that. Those two idiots and even Alice. They are all like that."

"Why do you say that? We both know that Alice isn't like that, and Josh just messes with you. He does care about what happens to the rest of us, he just doesn't show it like a normal person." Will said as Hans started to calm down.

"You say that, but he won't even say that you guys are his friends. He doesn't care about what happens to us. I mean, he has 'friends' that just all happen to be high level. He just doesn't want people to mess with him, so he pretends to care about us when in reality, he doesn't give a damn." Hans said with a sad look. "They are all like that..."

"That's not true. Remember, both Mei and Natsu are his friends. They are both Level 2, but he's still fine with them being his friends."

The smaller one didn't say anything and both kept silent from the rest of the time.

* * *

><p>"I don't get why I couldn't just go with Keith-sama." Masumi said as the three pushed past some vines.<p>

"Because you would get in his way. The best person to help him would be Don. Those two are the best tag team in our group. You are no help to them." Dai said with a bored tone.

"Hey, he could be used as canon fodder." Yuji said with a laugh.

Dai gave a grin in agreement while Masumi look annoyed.

"That's what Haisha is for. His ability is the best suited for that."

The other two nodded in agreement.

"Can't you just make a path for us so we don't have to deal with these vines?" Yuji asked with an irritated tone.

"Yeah, but we don't really know what's in this forest. I don't want to take the chance of doing something that'll work against us." Dai said as he looked around the area. 'Not to mention the feeling that I've been having. I think we're being watched, but...' He stopped and turned his head just as something rustled in the trees. "Come one, we are going to pick up the pace."

"Sure thing."

'Between all of us, we're the ones in the most amount of danger. Not to mention we'll be in major trouble if Masumi doesn't pay attention when he uses his ability.'

The three quickly went through the forest.

* * *

><p>"So do you actually believe in these things?" Donald asked, looking around the area and seeing different animals in the trees.<p>

"No. I'm not going to say they're lying when they say it, but they probably just see something that resembles these creatures. There's no way they can actually exist." The other blond said with a nonchalant tone. "There might be _something_, but it's more likely that it's an animal rather than a mythical creature."

"You have a point. It would be interesting to fight against a mythical creature though. These golems sound like they would be fun to go against."

The other gave a hum, but said nothing.

"I wonder who would be able to take out more between our two groups."

"Obviously us. Not only are we more powerful, we have more in numbers. Although, it _would _be nice if we didn't have these stupid collars on." Keith said as he grabbed his necklace with looked at it with disdain. "I'll have to agree with the #2 in saying that they things are irritating."

"Hey, at least you know not to do something stupid like that again without already knowing the consequences." The other said with a chuckle. "And I would still like to see what would happen. True we have numbers on our side, but both Yuji and Masumi aren't really that useful without sneak attacks. You, Dai and I can easily handle something like a golem, but so can the people from Elect-Error's group."

"Hm? They aren't his group, you know that, right? Even if he's connected to the Network and has that collar on, the Fake #2 is still stronger than that guy." Keith said, giving the other an unsure look.

"True, but with the way things are going, he won't really have much power in a few weeks. Not to mention that I felt that little spike when you two went to meet that Board of Directors guy. He probably used it, so the two of us felt it." Donald said as the two exited the forest and stared in amazement when they saw a giant hole in the ground. "Well it looks like we are the first to get here."

"Unfortunately, we're not. Look over there."

Looking over, Donald saw a sigh that read 'We'll meet you idiots at the bottom. See ya'.

"Well crap. I guess we should go down." Donald said as he grabbed the other's arm.

The two disappeared without noticing the eye that was watching them.

* * *

><p>"We're getting closer." Josh said as he and Takeshi continued to walk.<p>

"...Okay..."

There was silence between the two, but neither felt awkward in the slightest.

'I am so glad I'm teamed up with him. Will isn't so bad, but if I had to deal with any of the others...we would have at least one less person when we got back to Academy City. Plus, his ability is really useful and with this stupid crap I'll need some help.' Josh thought as he messed around with the earphones. He stopped messing with the earphones and took a quick glance to his side.

"...Ō-sama..."

"Yeah, I know. We'll wait and see what happens. They look like they're just observing for now. We won't provoke them."

Takeshi nodded his head, but was still on guard.

"Hey, why did you just call me 'King'? That's kinda a weird nickname. The first I've heard, that's for sure."

"...I'm sorry..." Takeshi said, looking down.

Josh let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head.

"Nah, it's fine. I don't care if you do. I just find it a little odd. Though, I guess I prefer 'odd' more than 'noramal'. What about you?" Josh asked, looking at the younger one.

"...It...depends..."

This got a confused look from the other.

"...Someone can be odd in a good way, or...they can be odd in a bad way...normality is something people usually want, but...there's not really such a thing as normality..."

"Wow, dude. Talk about deep. You know, you're kinda odd yourself."

Takeshi looked a little sad at this.

"But it's the good kind of odd. Even if you're quiet, we kinda already know a lot about you."

Now Josh got a confused look from the other.

"What I mean is that we know your nice and humble, but you're also strong. Heh. I guess you and Will have that in common. Both of you are definitely better than that Lower Half #2 or stinkin' Hans. You're not as loud or talkative as the others, so I'm thankful for that."

"...Thank you..."

Josh gave a hum in response, but could tell that Takeshi seemed happy about the praise.

"...We're coming up to something..."

"Yeah. Looks like there really was something over here. I just didn't expect this of all things." Josh said with a sigh as the two stared at a giant hole in the ground. "It's irritating, but I guess we should go down there."

Takeshi nodded his head while Josh chopped off a piece of a tree.

"I'll leave a sign to let the others know we'll meet them down there."

After doing so, the two walked towards the edge of the hole and stared down.

"...How are we going to get to the bottom...?" Takeshi asked while Josh let out another sigh.

The older one bent down and faced his back to Takeshi.

"Get on. I'll get us down there."

Doing as he was told, Takeshi got onto the other's back and the two started to descend down the hole.

"Looks like it's going to get very dark down there. I'll use the wind to guide us. It might get a little cold, so get ready."

"...Okay...I'll be fine..."

Nodding his head, Josh went further down until they finally touched the bottom.

"Damn. I can't see crap down here." Josh sighed as wind started to go around the two. "Hold on tight so you don't fall off. It'll be bad if we get separated."

Nodding his head, Takeshi's grip tightened.

'We're still being watched. I don't know how, but they can definitely see us.'

"...Ō-sama...There's a small light ahead."

Looking closely, Josh saw the small light Takeshi was talking about.

"Guess you're right. For now we'll head that way and see if we can find something useful."

When the two got to the light, they could see that the light was coming through a small crack in a wall.

"Well damn. Okay, since we don't know what's behind that wall we have to be carful. Here, I'm going to let you down and make a small opening. After we see what's behind it, we can break it down." Josh said as he bent down again.

Takeshi got off his back and stepped back a little.

'Here I go.'

He lifted his finger and some wind started to whirl around it. He walked towards the wall and put his finger in it. He started cutting the wall until a small hole was made.

"Hey, I see a light!"

The two turned around just in time to see Hans, Will, Keith and Donald running up to them.

"Huh? Takeshi? Where's Josh?" Will asked as they saw the boy.

Takeshi pointed ahead and the four saw Josh getting done with another hole.

"It's about time you got here. What took you so long?" Josh asked with a smirk.

"Hm. We were trying to see if there's something we could figure out instead of trying to find out way through a tunnel. Seems like you didn't care about what happened to Takeshi since you brought him down here." Hans said as he crossed his arms and turned his head.

"Whatever. We found this light and I just saw what was behind this wall. Back up so I can get rid of it." Josh said as he walked towards them.

"Don't order us around." Hans said, but still taking a few steps back.

Josh snapped his fingers and the wall was no more while dust filled the air.

"Glad I can still do that." Josh said with a sigh of relief. "Well I guess we should get going."

The others followed, even if one of them complained about it. When they walked out, they saw a whole field expanding out and at the far end, they could see the back of the wall.

"Looks like we're in cave. Not that I'm complaining, but what happened to the roof of this place?" Donald asked as he saw the sky outside.

"Because that would make us complete victims for the current events."

They all turned to see a group of people standing on front of them.

'When the hell did they get there?' They all thought.

"Welcome."

**_END CHAPTER_**

**And there you have it. I know I repeat these lines every chapter, but oh well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter for those rare people who actually even read this fic. For those of you who actually take pity on me and review, why don't you tell me what sort of mythical creature you would like to see? Whelp, until next time, bye-onara!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Welcome all to this next chapter! Here we have a splendiferous chapter filled with too many blonds! Now why don't we get started!? I hope you enjoy chapter!**

**Disclaimer:** previous chapters

**Chapter 22: **More Appear

"You must be from Academy City. We welcome you with open arms." A man in the front said as the people behind him gave their greetings.

"It's nice to meet you. My name is William and we were sent here to help out with a problem involving golems?"

The man nodded his head while the others introduced themselves.

"Yes. You see, everyone here was once a part of a different religion, but either left or were forced out. We all came to this island to seek refuge. It worked well and we decided that since there is so much nature, we should bring in some help. We decided to use our magic to make some golems. These golems were fine and well as they did what they were suppose to. That was before the incident occurred..."

The whole group of people got sad looks on their faces while the A.C. group looked confused.

'Magic? Magic isn't real, so what are they talking about?' Most of them thought.

'Magic, huh...'

Josh seemed to be in thought, but was quickly pulled out when someone started talking again.

"We are sorry. It is our fault that all of this had happened." A man and woman walked forwards with the woman having tears in her eyes. "We just wanted a child, but...we never expected this to happen."

"It's...okay. Just tell us what happened and we'll see what we can do." Will said, not knowing what to do.

"You see, we thought that we could make a child using the earth around us. My wife has been unable to produce an offspring, so we didn't know what else to do. When we put life into it, it truly did come alive, but...it started to eat and eat and eat. We didn't know what else to feed it, so it started to eat some of the villagers around. Afterwards, it started eating the other golems and spawning it's own." The man explained.

"The last golem we made, seeing what was going to happen, pushed out whole village down here and we put up a barrier to keep the other golems out." The first man said. "We would like if you could get rid of this monster so we can live without any fear."

"Alright. Can you give us some time to discuss the situation?" Donald asked, getting a nod from the group.

"We thank you for this."

* * *

><p>"So what should we do? We can't be sure if they are telling the truth or not." Keith said as the group hung around a tree.<p>

"Takeshi and I could probably vouch for them. On our way here, we noticed that we were being watched. If what they are saying is true, then it was probably one of the golems." Josh said as he laid on one of the tree branches. "I'm fine with kicking some ass."

"I'd like to help too. I feel bad for these people." Will said while Takeshi nodded in agreement.

"But the idea that they used magic for this is crazy. There's no way they can even makes those things. I think it's a hoax." Donald said as both Hans and Keith nodded their heads.

"It's not a hoax... I believe them..."

They all turned to Josh with questioning looks.

"What was that?"

"I said that it's a tie, so what are we going to do? It would be nice if those other three losers were here." Josh said with a sigh.

"Speaking of which, I wonder where they are. I would have thought that Masumi couldn't wait to meet up with Keith again." Donald said as he looked around.

"Well how about we split up then? Josh, Takeshi and I can go look for the golem while you three go look for the others. How does that sound?" Will suggested as Josh jumped down.

"Sounds fine. That's what we'll do for now. If something happens, send out a signal to show where you are." Josh said as he started to walk away.

"Who said you were in charge? If you forgot, we are the same rank." Keith said as he walked next to the other. "But I guess that's fine by me. Just make sure that you send that signal out when you face something so I can get a snack to watch."

"Says the Lower Half. Try not to wet yourself when you see a ribbit, okay?" Josh said as the two glared at each other.

"Will those two be okay?" Someone from the village asked as they saw the two.

"Yeah. These two are always like this." Will said as they all sweat-dropped.

He then turned his attention to the rest of the people.

"We have decided on a plan of action. We will put a stop to this so you can live happily and safely."

"Oh, thank you! You people truly are amazing!" The man from before said.

"Well we're gonna get going then." Josh said as he grabbed Will and Takeshi's arms.

The three were quickly gone.

Following his lead, Keith teleported himself and the other two out of the cave.

'Please be safe. We will pray for your safety.'

* * *

><p>"So where should we start looking?" Will asked as the three walked through the forest.<p>

"It's a pretty small island, but I don't think we'll have to look too far." Josh said as he and Takeshi looked around and saw that they were being watched again. 'If we can lure one if them out...' He let out a sigh and started to speak again. "Will, Takeshi, get ready."

"Ready? For what?"

Before the blond could say anymore, Josh snapped his fingers and three explosions went off around them. They heard a loud rumbling sound and the ground started to shake.

"What's going on!?"

The ground started to rise and take a humanoid shape until it was the size of a house.

"So that's a golem? Huh. Looks kinda cool." Josh said as the monster let out a roar. "Well it looks like we're going to have to beat you before you tell us where the master is. You two ready?"

A red tint went over the area and he heard some electricity.

"Good. Now why don't we get started?"

Jumping into the air, Josh let out a snap and the golem's arm exploded.

Not a moment later, it regenerated its arm, but making it bigger.

"Damn it."

Seeing the other arm headed for him, Josh put his arms up to block, but he disappeared from where he was. He landed next to Takeshi.

"Thanks."

Nodding his head, Takeshi moved his arm horizontally and the golem got hit by multiple tree in the face, knocking it over a little.

Seeing and opening, Will let out a large discharge that hit hard on the monster's midsection. Before it could regain its balance, the golem was hit by a large gust of wind and started to fall back. Josh appeared above him with his fist reeled back and wind revolving around it. As it fell down, the golem was hit again by a powered up fist, destroying its whole torso. Jumping back, Josh and the other two watched as it regenerated again and stood back up

"Well this is irritating. What are we suppose to do now?" Josh asked as the other two got ready for another attack.

The golem's arm got even bigger and was right above them.

"We better move, now."

As they tried to run, they felt their legs unable to move. Looking down, they saw that earth had covered up their feet, immobilizing them.

'Damn!'

"Duck!"

Hearing the command, the three ducked their heads as something flew past them and hit the golem, destroying its whole arm. They looked up to see three arrows hit the golem on its legs and last arm before they got destroyed.

"That won't work! It'll just regenerate!" Will called out.

To his shock, the limbs didn't regenerate and the rest of the golem fell to the ground.

"I sealed those parts so they can't come back, no matter how hard it tries." They turned around to see a girl with a bow in her hand and arrows on her back. She had brown hair that went to her mid-back that was tied in a ponytail and had brown eyes.

"Thanks for that. We really appreciate it." Will said as he destroyed the coverings with his electricity. "Who are you? Are you one of the villagers?"

"I use to be. Why don't we go somewhere safe to talk. I have a barrier set up not to far from here." The girl said as she started to walk away.

"Hold on. I still need to get this thing to tell us-" Josh stopped when he saw that the golem wasn't there anymore. "Fine. I'm coming."

* * *

><p>"It's this way."<p>

"No, they're this way."

"I'm telling you that they're this way."

"And I'm telling _you _that-"

"Both of you, shut the hell up before I teleport a rock into your heads." Keith said as the two other blonds stayed quiet. "Now since we don't have service on this island, our best bet is to try and see if we can get their attention."

The other two nodded their heads as Keith let out a sigh.

"Now what can we do..."

That's when three explosions went off in the distance that got their attention.

"Looks like those three are in a fight. What should we do about that?" Donald asked, looking at the Level 5.

"We'll leave them alone. I'm sure those three can survive whatever it is. If not, then to bad for them." Keith said with a shrug.

"I'm serious, if you keep creeping us out like that, I am going to bury you alive."

The three turned to see Dai, Yuji and Masumi walking through the forest.

"Well that was easy." The three blond said.

"Hey, you three! We're over here!" Donald called out.

Hearing the voice, the other three saw the blonds and quickly went towards them.

"Keith-sama! I'm so glad to see you again!" Masumi exclaimed while the others swore they saw him with dog ears and a tail.

"So what's going on? Wasn't this kid with the other blond from Aero Lock's group?" Dai asked, pointing to Hans.

"Yeah, but our plans have changed. The three of us were sent to find you three while the other three went off to do something else." Donald explained as they walked towards where the explosions went off.

"So did you three get lost or something? Where the heck have you been?" Hans asked as he walked in front of the whole group.

"So when are we ditching this kid? I don't know if you know this, but he's not someone people usually want to hang around with." Yuji whispered to Donald.

"I can hear you, idiot! And I'm not a kid!" Hans exclaimed.

That's when they felt the ground under them start to shake. The ground started to come up and make a humanoid shape. The creature started to move around and made a loud roar.

"What the heck is that thing!?" Yuji exclaimed as they all dodged a punch from the monster.

"That thing is real!?" Keith, Donald and Hans exclaimed.

"It's doesn't matter right now! We need to stop that thing before it stomps on us!" Dai said as he touched the ground.

A blue tint went over the area and the golem started to fall apart. Just as the last piece fell it reformed again and tried to land another punch. Before it could land the hit, Keith teleported to Dai and teleported the two away.

The golem moved its arm to the side, getting everything in its path, but was stopped by an invisible wall.

Running up to the golem, Donald touched its arm and a small brown glow went over his own arm as the arm fell apart and reformed again. Just as it was done reforming, it started to fall to the ground with Donald landing a punch to its head.

Keith teleported them both to the ground as fire started to spread around the golem. It let out another roar and tried to stomp on them, but was stopped when its leg was cut off. The group was shocked at this and was ready for it to regenerate but was shocked again when it didn't.

"Alright, time to go!"

They saw someone standing on a tree and turned when they heard the golem let out a roar before sinking into the ground. The person jumped down and they saw it was a male with black hair and eyes. He had a small dagger at his hip and a big grin on his face.

"You'll be left behind if you don't hurry up!"

The group, realizing what he said, quickly followed him and tired not to trip on any branches.

* * *

><p>"So who are you? And why did your attack work, but not ours?" Will asked as the four walked in a cave.<p>

"Sorry, but isn't it courtesy to give your name first?" The female said as she put her items down.

"Not for us. Will and I are from America. Takeshi is the only one from Japan, but he's too shy to talk." Josh said with a sigh as he took his earphones out. "But if you have to know, my name is Joshua, the blond is Will and like I said, the small one is Takeshi."

"Hello. Thank you for saving us." Will said while Takeshi gave a small nod and bow.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Elda Desideria." The girl said, getting a nod from them. "Now to answer your other question. My attack worked against it because it sealed the magic that was being used on it while you three just attacked it and did nothing about its regenerative ability."

'Well at least she doesn't have an attitude.' Josh thought with an eye roll. "So my guess is that the only way to beat these things is to either seal their magic like you did or take out their leader."

"Yes. You are correct in that assumption." Elda said as she held out three little pouches. "These contain needles that will seal the magic of anything you use it on."

"I'm sorry, but we don't believe in ma-" Before Will could continue, Josh covered his mouth and took a pouch.

"Thank you for these. We'll use them well." Josh said as the other two took a pouch. "Idiot. It doesn't matter if you believe it or not, these things will work on the golems." He whispered while the blond gave a nod.

"I am _not _a little kid! Say that again and I'll kill you!"

They all turned to the entrance and saw the other group walk in with Hans's face a deep red.

'Oh crap. Now we have to deal with these idiots too.' Josh thought with a sigh. "Hey, Midget, shut up. I don't feel like dealing with you right now."

"You too! I'm going to hurt you if you don't shut up!" Hans exclaimed, turning his anger on Josh who let out another sigh.

"So I'm guessing you've already told these three on what to do?" The new guy said, looking at Elda.

"Yes. It seems that you brought the rest of them." The brunette said with a small sigh of her own when she saw the group having a little fight.

"Yup!" The guy clapped his hands loudly and got all their attention. "Now you may not know us, but we have something in common! We all want to get rid if these golems, so let's work together!"

"Shut the hell up."

The guy fell to the ground at this, but quickly got up and coughed in his hand.

"Well anyways, my name is Zephyr Adamos and this is Elda. We are going to give you a pouch filled with needles that will be able to stop these golems. We would like your help on getting rid of them and taking back this island. Will you help us?"

"I was already planning on it. It'll be irritating, but I guess kinda fun at the same time." Josh said as he put his earphones in his ears.

"I'm fine with helping out." Will said while Takeshi nodded.

"I guess you need my strength for this. Fine, I'll help." Hans said while the others gave an eye roll or a blank look.

"It'll be a good way to test out how much of our power is gone. I'm in." Keith said, taking a pouch.

"Our 'leader' say yes, so we don't have much of a choice." Donald said, also taking a pouch.

"We'll get this over with quickly so we can get back to the city." Dai said in a bored tone.

"If Keith-sama is going to do this, then I won't let him down." Masumi said while Yuji shook his head.

"Great. Now we have a good idea as to where the leader is, so we can all go and attack together."

This got uncertain looks from most of them.

"I'm all for splitting up and whoever gets there first gets to fight first." Josh said as he raised his hand. "Who's in?"

Most of them raised their hands for this while Will apologized to the other two.

"So who's with who?"

"Well there will have to be a team of three since the numbers aren't even." Donald said as he looked around. "And let's mix things up for this, yeah? I'll go with the Fake #2."

Josh let out a sigh, but didn't object.

"I think I'll go with Takeshi." Will said as he walked next to the kid.

"I'll stick with Masumi and the midget, I guess." Dai said as Hans crossed his arms and turned his head while Masumi looked disappointed.

"So it's me and 'leader' then." Yuji said as he walked next to Keith.

'Well this isn't what we had in mind, but I guess it could work.' Zephyr thought with a sweat-drop.

He looked over and saw Elda shaking and her hair shadowing her eyes.

"Oh crap..."

"That was not the plan!" The brunette yelled out just as most of them disappeared, only leaving Dai, Hans and Masumi behind.

"We're leaving now." Dai said as he dodged a arrow to the head.

"Well...I guess we should get going too..." Zephyr said, trying not to agitating the girl more.

"Il tuo culo in marcia e andare avanti allora, idiota!"

Letting out a yelp, the male rushed out of the cave.

* * *

><p>"So where are we even going? We didn't bother to ask where this leader is." Dai said as he and the other two walked through the forest again.<p>

"I don't know. We'll just have to keep walking until we get a clue." Hans said as he looked around. 'I can't believe we have to use something like needles to beat these monsters. That's just crazy.'

"Well this sucks. It would be nice if we had someone like Fake #2 or the kid here so they could look around the area." Dai said with a sigh.

That's when they felt the rumbling again and another golem appeared in front of them.

"Oh come on! We just left the stupid cave! This is messed up!"

"It's doesn't matter! Just dodge!" Hans exclaimed as the three jumped away from the punch aimed at them.

A blue tint went over the area and the golem fell apart before it started to form again.

'Now's my chance!'

Moving his arm horizontally through the air, Hans let out some energy that cut the forming golem, making it let out a roar. He felt some heat pass by his head and saw a little fire ball land on the ground before it turned into a blazing fire.

Seeing that the fire was being contained and keeping the golem at bay, Hans used his ability to control the flames and make a cage around the monster. He got out a needle from the pouch and got ready to through it when the golem stomped on the ground, shaking it and making them all lose their balance.

The blue tint faded from the area and the golem was above the three.

As it stomped to the ground, a large gust of cold wind blew by them, knocking the golem off balance and falling on its back.

A giant ice shard appeared above the golem and pieced the monster. The ice quickly turned into water and spread on the golem before turning into ice again.

"Well I'm glad we got here on time. That could have ended badly."

The three turned around to see three figures walking towards them.

"It's funny that we have to help two people who are a higher level than us."

The three started to come into view and shocked Dai and Hans.

"Well one of them is in Hopper-kun's group, so we're fine with helping out."

The three were shocked to see Shinji, Kei and Aki standing before them.

"We're here to help out. Now let's get rid of this thing." Kei said as the ground started to shake again.

The golem broke free of the ice and stood up before letting out another roar.

"This might be tough."

* * *

><p>"Well I guess we shouldn't have expected this to be easy. Our mistake." Keith said as he and Yuji stared down another golem.<p>

"It won't be that hard. Can't you just teleport the needle into that thing?" Yuji asked as the golem came closer.

"No. For some reason, these things are blocking my ability. We actually have to get these things in it." The blond said as he teleported the two away from a stomp.

As they got away, Keith teleported again while Yuji touched a tree near by that went flying towards the golem. The tree hit its mark on the face as the blond appeared above the monster.

Just as he was going to put the needle in the golem's neck, the creature swung its arm back, making Keith teleport away from it. He appeared on the arm and stuck the needle inside of its arm, making it collapse. The golem tried to regenerate, but to no use. Noticing this, Keith teleported to its other arm, but had to teleport away again when he almost got hit.

Yuji touched another tree, but it was swatted away by the golem. Seeing the distraction, Keith teleported again, but was caught off guard and hit by a piece of rock. Just as he appeared on the golem's arm again, he saw the head mere inches above him. Not being able to react in time, the blond looked on in shock.

"Alpha!"

He felt someone hold onto his shoulder.

"Beta!"

He was suddenly gone and saw that je was next to Yuji with two people also there.

"I would never have thought that we would need to help a Level 5."

"Well it'll be a fun story to tell later."

The blond looked over to see Natsu and Mei standing there.

"I guess it's time to show why my level was moved up." Natsu said before the golem let out another roar.

'From Judgment?'

* * *

><p>"That's number two down. How far are we from the main place?" Donald asked, looking at Josh.<p>

"Not too far. Depends on how many more of these things are going to attack us." Josh said with a sigh as two golems appeared. "It's still good that we met up with you two when we did. You looked like you needed some help." He said, looking at Will and Takeshi.

"It's nice of you to help, but we could have probably handled it ourselves." The blond answered as he shot off some electricity, destroying one if the golem's arms before throwing one of the needles at the area, making the creature let out a roar.

"Well this is going to get very irritating, very fast." Josh said as he cut off one of the legs before sealing it.

"Does he always say that?" Donald asked as he stopped a punch.

"Pretty much. You get use to it over time. Well, unless your Hans that is." Will answered, sealing another arm.

The two turned when a shadow went over them and saw a tree smacking into the arm that was coming towards them.

"Thanks, Takeshi."

The kid gave a nod.

The ground gave another big rumble as a bigger golem came from the ground.

"Well that seems unfair."

The bigger golem destroyed the smaller two and ended up absorbing them in itself and becoming bigger.

"Now it's just being mean."

The golem let out a roar, but instead of being loud, it was rather quiet and the monster stumbled back a little.

"Well that was unexpected." Josh said as he felt something moving quickly in the air.

A body came to the ground and touched the ground with their hand. Spikes made of earth started to come up from the ground and headed towards the golem. The golem was knocked off balance and fell on its back. Three giant swords made of earth pierced its body and the four saw something coming from the sky. When they got a better look, they saw that it was yellow light falling and ended up hitting the golem with all of them.

"Thanks, for the help, but we could have handled that." Josh said as the three bodies appeared before them, showing to be Alice, Rinka and Senna.

"I know, but you looked like you needed help." The blond said with a grin.

"Deja vù." The other three males muttered.

Turning around, Alice saw the golem getting back up and regenerating.

"Well it looks like we have some work to do."

The others walked up, ready for battle.

"This'll be fun."

**_END CHAPTER_**

**Yay for long chapters! Boo for almost no one reading it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and continue to read this until the end for you rare people reading this. Now I'm off to go find the magical brick of flying squirrels in Jambers. Peace!**


	23. Chapter 23

**And here is number 23! I didn't actually expect myself to make it this far, but I like making this. Even if not many people will read this, I'm still going to update. Now let's start!**

**Chapter 23: **Free For All

"Quei maledetti bastardi! Quei maledetti bastardi! Quei maledetti bastardi! Quei maledetti bastardi! Quei maledetti bastardi!"

Zephyr watched with a frightened look as Elda shot arrow after arrow and got rid of more golems.

'I think she might be a little pissed.' He thought as he took down one golem.

"Quei maledetti bastardi!" The girl yelled as she let loose five arrows at once.

'Why did they leave me with her! I would have been fine with one of those two kids!' The male thought as he shrieked when the brunette suddenly turned to him and shot out more arrows.

He quickly ducked and turned around to see three golems go down.

"Quei maledetti bastardi! QUEI MALEDETTI BASTARDI!"

'So scary!'

* * *

><p>"Heads up!"<p>

Dai ducked just in time so as not to be hit by an incoming shard of ice. The ice stabbed the golem behind him. It was followed by multiple smaller ones.

The golem stumbled back and ended up stepping on some ice. It slipped and started to fall to the ground. As it did, Hans appeared at its side and let out three slashes of energy. Just as the golem started to reform, one needle was thrown into its opening. It let out a groan before being silenced by a needle to the face.

"Well there's one less one to deal with." Dai said as they all regrouped.

"It's a good thing we came when we did." Kei said happily.

"Even if we didn't need any help to begin with." Masumi said with a dull tone.

"Says the Level 2." The brunette shot back.

"Okay, okay. Just calm down now. We should catch up with the others so we won't have to deal with these things alone." Aki said, trying to take control of the situation.

They felt the ground rumble a little and saw more golems come up, but these were smaller and more in number.

"Well this doesn't look too good." Shinji said as he looked around. "Looks like we have our work cut out for us."

"It doesn't matter how many there are, we will still take them down. Our best bet is to wait until one of the Level 5s or someone beats the leader." Dai said as he touched the ground again.

One of the golems tried to punch him, but it fell apart before reforming. This promoted the other golems to go on the offensive as well.

Kei jumped back and spears of ice formed above her head. The ice spears quickly pierced the golems and quickly turned to water before turning back into ice and stabbing the golem from the inside. Hearing another come up behind her, Kei got ready to defend, but the golem was pushed back by a strong gust of wind.

"Thanks, Aki-kun!"

The glasses wearing teen nodded his head and he moved his arm to blow away more of the golems.

The rock creatures were blown onto horizontal ice pikes that were coming out of a tree. Seeing Shinji disable more with ice, Aki made a massive gust of wind appear and block the golems from moving far.

'I guess these three aren't so bad. Definitely better than Masumi, that's for sure.' Dai thought as he made more golems crumble.

"Don't get distracted." Hans said as he lifted some golems in the sir and slammed then together.

"I'm not, midget." Dai answered before getting a serious look on his face. 'Although it would be nice for them to hurry the hell up.'

* * *

><p>"Why won't these things just stay down!?" Natsu exclaimed as he teleported one golem into another.<p>

"Because they are a bunch of mindless idiots." Yuji said as he launched a tree into one of the golems.

"I can't reach anyone else. They're too far away." Mei said as she dodge a punch.

"Why am I stuck with the weakest people?"

Multiple golems were teleported into each other and got destroyed as more appeared.

"If this keeps up, I'll end up losing to they Fake #2!"

The other three shook their heads while Keith teleported more golems away and got rid of some with the needles he had. He teleported himself high in the air and landed a drop kick on a golem.

"I think he might be mad." Mei said with the worried look. "Maybe we shouldn't mention that Flora-san also came with us."

"What!?"

* * *

><p>"Heads up!"<p>

"What the hell!?"

"I warned you."

Josh let out a sigh as he made another golem explode.

Rinka and Donald were currently yelling at each other. Senna was laughing at the two fight while slicing some golem with two metal katanas she had made. Alice was taking down another golem, Will looked like he was trying to keep his distance from the two and Takeshi was silently helping Josh.

'Why can't they just shut up and get to work?' The Level 5 thought with another sigh. "Hey! If you don't hurry up, then I'll kick both your asses."

"You shut up too, shitty #2!" The two yelled back, making Josh let out another sigh.

"You people are so irritating." Josh snapped his fingers again and made three more golems explode.

He pulled out three needles and threw them at the destroyed golems, thereby sealing them.

"How you holding up, Takeshi?"

"...I'm fine... I can still fight." The younger one said as he also sealed more.

"Alright. But if you get tired, you can take a break."

"In that case-"

"Not you, blondie."

Will let out his own sigh as he shot electricity through the golems.

"This _is _getting out of hand though." Alice said as light radiated off of her. She then turned her attention to Josh. "Do you know where the leader is?"

"Hm? Yeah. I found him a little while ago. I just thought these things wouldn't let us go, is all." The air manipulator said, stopping a punch aimed at his head.

"Alright then. Rinka, do you think you guys can handle these things?" The blond asked, turning to her Right Hand.

"Hai, Onee-san. Just leave it to us. You two go and get the leader so we can finally leave." The brunette said as she got rid of more.

'We've been here longer than her. If anyone should complain, it should be us.' Josh thought with a sigh. "Will, Takeshi can you guys handle this?"

"Of course we can. You go and beat the leader. The sooner we can get back to the city, the sooner we can get back to our beds." Will said with Takeshi nodding his head.

"I feel _kinda _bad since you to have to protect that idiot too." Josh said, pointing to Donald.

"I don't need anyone to protect me!"

"Well we'll be going now. See ya guys around."

With that, the two Level 5s we gone in a gust if wind an a ray of light.

* * *

><p>"So this is where the leader is? A cave huh? Not very original." Alice said as she and Josh looked in the cave.<p>

"Yeah, well this is a small island, so I wouldn't expect much in the first place." Josh said as he took an earbud out. "I just remembered. Where's your Present?"

"Huh? Oh, this thing?" Alice said as he grabbed the bracelet around her wrist. "I've been feeling so much weaker with this thing on. I doubt you and Keith feel great."

"So true. These jackasses just care about seeing how much stonger we can get." Josh said with an irritated look as the two walked into the cave. "By the way, I have a question that's kinda been bugging me."

"Shoot."

"I get that our ranks depend on the worth of our abilities. I mean, Mugen uses Pressure Manipulation, so that seems obvious. I have my Air Manipulation. You use Light Manipulation, which can go a lot of places. Karui can use the shadow illusions. And I'm still don't know about the #3, so I can say much. Anyways, I'm wondering how Keith became the first #2. He's a Teleporter, and there isn't much room for reaseach."

"I see what you're getting at. Actually, he's the only one of us that is a Level 5 because of his strength, and not because of the worth of his ability." Alice said with a fond smile. "That's probably why he was so mad that you are the same rank as him. He can't stand that a person who's become a Level 5 is at his level because of their ability. Not to say you're not strong."

"I guess that makes sense. I would be pretty pissed myself if someone came along and was called my equal just because they are profitable. But he still shouldn't be mad at something like that. I was born with my ability, so I had my whole life to train with it." Josh said as he snapped his fingers.

A small ball of fire appeared in his hand and lit up the increasingly dark cave.

"Although we _do _have higher power levels than most. If we were Level 5s just because of profit, then I'm sure Takeshi, Dai and Donald would also be Level 5."

"That's right. Takeshi uses Space Manipulation, Aoi uses Time Distortion and Doanld uses some kind of absorption ability. Those three have a large amount of potential." Alice said as she looked around the dimly lit cave. "But I'm sure, if given the help, they could surpass us. Not to mention that Donald is a part of-..." The blond cut herself off and let out a laugh. "Never mind."

'Hm? He was a part of...? If I had to guess...it probably has something to do with this whole Network thing.' Josh thought with a sigh. "Don't forget that Will is really stong too. Plus there's #1's Right Hand."

"True. Both if them are strong in their own right."

"Quei maledetti bastardi!"

The two turned around just in time for Josh to be tackled to the ground by a body, making the small flame go out.

"Okay. Ow. Whoever you are, get the hell off of me before I blow you up." The teen said with a sigh of irritation.

"I'm going to kill you now." The other person said with a deadly tone.

Recognizing the voice, Josh let out another sigh and relit a fire. He looked up to see Elda on top of him and her face a few inches away from his.

'So irritating.'

"Now, now. Just calm down. These two _did _make it this far, so I don't think you should go killing people this strong." Zephyr said with a sweat-drop.

"So now I know this is definitely where the leader is. Thanks for that." Josh said as he stood up and dusted himself off.

He looked over and saw Alice giving a small glare towards him.

"What's your problem?"

"Nothing. I just figured we were in a rush, is all. I guess we aren't if you can go around and doing that with someone." The blond said as she crossed her arms and turned the other way.

"That's bs and you know it. She tackled me to the ground, not the other way around." Josh said as the four started to walk again.

"There is something that's bugging me though." Zephyr said with a thoughtful expression.

"What? Why would a crazy woman jump on me like that for no apparent reason?" Josh said sarcastically.

"No, idiot. If we are heading in the right direction, why haven't we seen any golems so far."

Just as he got done saying that, the ground started to shake again and they could see figures coming from all around them.

Zephyr let out a nervous laugh while the other three glared at him.

"You just _had _to say something, didn't you!?" Alice said as they all got in a fighting stance. 'Damn. If that's all the light we have, I won't be able to do much. But if we light something on fire, it might spread and the smoke will get to us.'

"You guys can go on ahead. I'm sure I'll get done with these irritations quickly." Josh said as wind started to revolve around him.

The massive amount of wind sped forward and destroyed the golems, but they started to reform.

"What the hell? That doesn't help when they can reform like that!" Elda exclaimed angrily.

"It wasn't meant to destroy them." He got confused looks until they all noticed that there were gaping holes on the top of the cave. "I figured out that the top of this place is actually thin enough for me to destroy. Now I'll deal with these thing while you all go after the boss. Got it?"

"Yeah. Thanks!"

Walking in front of the golems, Josh got a grin on his face. He cracked his knuckles as more wind started to go around him with water also forming.

"Now let's get this started."

* * *

><p>"Get the hell away from me!" Donald exclaimed as he threw a golem at a group of them.<p>

"Watch where you're throwing those things!" Rinka yelled as she clapped her hands, which destroyed more.

"Both of you, shut up and pay attention!" Natsu said as he teleported some away.

"You shut the hell up, shitty Judgment officer!" They both yelled back.

"We need to find a way to at least stall them so we can go help Josh-kun!" Kei said as she froze more of the golems with Shinji.

"Why are those two so energetic? Isn't the blond suppose to be calm, or something?" Mei asked, looking at Dai.

"Yeah, well apparently those two have some bad history." The time distorter said in a bored tone.

"I've had enough of this! You people take care of these things while I go find the boss!"

Before anyone could argue, Keith was gone.

"I think this is a good a time as any to say it..." Will said as he zapped more of them.

"This is so very irritating!" They all said at once.

* * *

><p>"Achoo! Damn. I hope I'm not coming down with something." Josh mumbled as he walked through the cave. 'Let's see. With a bunch of Level 4s, they should be fine. Knowing that idiot teleporter, he'll be here soon. Alice is up ahead with the other two and I'm almost out of needles. If we're going up against the boss, then I doubt a few needles will be of any use.' Josh let out a sigh and looked around. "So irritating. Why did I agree to this again?"<p>

"Because you're a dumbass."

Turing around, Josh saw Keith walk up to him. He turned back around and continued to walk like he didn't see the other.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!"

"But you're irritating too. Why would I want to deal with you?" Josh asked with a sigh as he dodged a punch thrown at him.

"Just shut up and tell me how far until we get to the boss." The blond said as he started to look around as well.

"I don't have to tell you anything. Figure it out yourself. Or are you too scared you'll teleport into a wall?" Josh said with a smug look while the other let out a frustrated sigh. "How many more needles do you have? I'm running out."

"I don't have to tell you." Keith said with his own smug look.

'So irritating indeed.'

The two continued to walk until they came to an open are with two ways. Josh closed his eyes and focused on both ways.

"I feel air coming from both. I doubt it matter which one we choose." He started to walk towards the left way. "See ya when you get there."

"I would rather not." The blond said as he took the right way.

* * *

><p>"Is it just me, or does it seem like there are less coming at us?" Yuji asked as he pushed some back.<p>

"I guess the boss wants to save energy since they know that strong opponents are headed towards it." Dai said, making some fall in a hole he made.

"I wonder how those two will do working together." Senna said as she sliced some up with her two swords.

"Those two...in a dark cave...with no one watching..."

Both Kei and Mei stopped their movement, got a dazed look, a small blush and started to giggle.

"Not the time for your Yaoi fantasies, girls!" Natsu yelled, teleporting more into each other.

"Hehehe. Sorry about that." The two said at the same time.

"Alright! I'm done here!" Rinka yelled out as she put her right hand over the right side of her head. 'Sorry, Onee-san.'

Seeing this, Donald and Will took a few steps back.

The others saw what the two blondes did and followed their lead.

Rinka opened her eyes and they looked like they were searching for something in the air.

Some marks started to appear on the top sides of her head, her cheeks and neck.

"I'm reflecting the Mirror Network. Time usage will be one minute. Begin."

Invisible waves started to radiate off of her and knocked the golems off balance. She snapped her fingers and let out a scream, making the sound waves visible. The sound waves destroyed the golems quickly as the others watched on with awe. Just as they started to reform, more sound waves hit them and destroyed them again. After a minute of this, most of the trees around them were destroyed along with the ground and no golems appeared.

"Man, that hurts." The brunette said as she fell on one knee. "That was only a minute too..."

"Maybe you shouldn't be a show off next time then." Donald said as they all walked up to her.

"What the heck was that?" Mei asked, looking around the destroyed area.

"It's called the Mirror Network. It amplifies my power, but the drawback is that I end up in pain half the time. It's also the next step past the Network." Rinka said as she was helped up by Senna.

"So can you two do that too?" Kei asked, looking at Donald and Will. "It seemed like you two knew what she was doing."

"I can't. I can only connect to the Network which is a one-sided thing. I'm not strong enough to reflect the Mirror Network." Donald said with some irritation as Rinka sent him a smirk.

Will looked down and said nothing. He looked back up with a smile and turned around to start walking away.

"Let's go see if we can help the others..."

All but three of them gave him a confused look. Both Rinka and Donald shook their heads with a sigh while Takeshi looked at the blond with a worried expression.

* * *

><p>"Looks like I made it here before that jackass." Josh said as he got to an open area.<p>

"It's about time. I've been waiting for you, ya know." He looked ahead and saw that the person that was talking was Alice.

The blond walked towards him.

"How nice of you." Josh said with an eye roll. "So where are the other two? I ended up taking longer because if the idiot teleporter."

"They stayed up ahead to make sure nothing happens. We need your help to get to the boss. We need your destructive ability." The blond said as they got to Elda and Zephyr.

"Really? You three can't just move this giant ass boulder out if the way?" Josh asked as he looked at the massive boulder blocking the massive entrance way.

"Sorry, but we don't have power strong enough to move or destroy it." Zephyr said as he scratched the back of his head.

"There isn't enough light in here for me do destroy it either." Alice said as she looked around.

"Who needs that idiot's destructive power when I can just teleport it out of the way?" Keith said as he walked up to the four of them.

"Because, irritation, I'm stronger than you and can do this with real style." Josh said as he lifted his hand and looked ready to snap.

"Hm. I can do this better than you _and _I won't alert the enemy to our location." The blond male said as he walked up to the boulder.

He closed his eyes and tried to teleport it, but the boulder was still there.

"What the hell?"

"Ha! See what I mean. I could get rid of that thing in an instant. Now step back." Josh put his hand on front of himself and snapped his fingers.

A part of the boulder exploded, but the rest still blocked the entrance.

"So much help you were." Keith said with a smug look.

"Alright you two. If I had to guess, it's probably because of our Presents. I've been feeling weaker and weaker by the minute, so the same could be said about you two. They take away our power in a similar fashion as the Network when the others take our energy." Alice said with a thoughtful expression.

"It would be helpful to know what this Network thing is." Josh said with an irritated tone.

"I have an idea." Zephyr suddenly said.

All attention went to him as he gave a smile.

"Why don't you just destroy part of the rock and teleport them away in rapid succession?"

"I would rather not work with this guy." Josh said with a distasteful expression.

"Same." Keith said, giving Josh a disgusted look.

Elda looked like she was getting mad and ended up scaring Zephyr.

"You two need it just suck it up and-"

"But I guess I don't have a choice this time."

The girl was cut off when the two Second Ranks walked forward.

"Are you sure you can keep up?" Josh asked, giving a side glance.

"I'll be teleporting these rocks casually while I wait for you to finally finish." Keith said, returning the glance.

"Then let's get start."

Josh pulled his other hand from his pocket and started to snap both fingers, making multiple explosions go off on the boulder. Just as the rocks were about to hit them, they disappeared and the other three heard the sound of rock hitting rock.

'Wow. From what I can see, Josh can do seven snaps in one second and Keith is easily teleporting these rocks way from us. We'll be in the other side in no time.' Alice thought as she waited for the two to finish. 'Although it _would _be nice without the restraints.'

"Here's the last blow. Try not to get crushed!" Josh said as he let out a loud snap, destroying the rest of the boulder.

"Don't underestimate me, idiot!"

Just as the piece was about to fall on them, it disappeared.

"Nice going, you two. Now let's get going!"

They all walked through the cave to see an army of golems waiting for them and a giant mud looking child in the very back in a throne made of rock.

"You finally made it. Let's play!" The mud child said with a laugh.

'Well damn.'

**_END CHAPTER_**

**And there you go. These next one will probably be long one like this one, (not that anyone will read them) so I hope you enjoy them too. Well until next time, sayonara!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Here is chapter 24. I will admit here and now that this chapter is crap. I sped through it because I want to get to the next part and did a terrible job at it. I still hope you continue to read later chapters though.**

**Disclaimer:** Previous chapters

**Chapter 24: **Creatures

"Why do we have to deal with this?" Josh asked with a sigh.

He looked up and saw that the top of the area was open and the sun had began to set.

'It would be nice if the others were here to distract these things while we fight the boss.'

"I will admit that it wasn't very smart to take this dumb request." Keith said with a look of irritation.

"What's worse is that these aren't that tough, just annoying to get rid of." Alice said as she moved her hair.

"Really? If a regular boulder gives you that much trouble, I don't think you should be saying that." Zephyr said with a sweat-drop.

"Says the one who hasn't don't anything this whole time." The three teens said, not even sparing him a glance.

"...This crazy girl was going on a rampage...I _couldn't _do anything..." The male said with a dark cloud over his head.

"Either way, we should get this over with. We still have other places to be." Keith said as the three walked forward.

He disappeared from where he was standing, confusing the golems, and reappeared above them. He threw the needles he hand and cut their number significantly. As he landed on the ground, he went for another needle, but noticed he had no more. He heard a groan and turned around to see a golem, that was about to hit him, get shot through the head the by a ray of light.

"I think it's time we help out." Alice said as light radiated off of her.

Light started to gather at her sides and she went to grab it. When she touched it, the light solidified and became two swords. She rushed forwards and sliced through multiple golems. She stabbed one in the head before the light extended and destroyed more. She turned the light swords into whips and mowed down even more.

Elda shot arrows at the remaining golems while Zephyr got his blade out and cut down other golems. When one was to get hit, the other appeared and defend the rear. For every one golem that came back, another ten were destroyed and sealed by the two.

All the while, Josh cleared a path through to the boss and quickly made his way. When one would appear before him, he blew them back towards the boss. He took a giant leap in the air, brought his arms above his head and dropped them down, making a strong amount of wind push down in the area.

The boss seemed unfazed by this, but the golems on the ground started to fall apart while the other humans seemed unaffected by the wind and watched as more golems were destroyed.

The boss lifted his hand and they all looked up when they heard rumbling. Parts of the remaining ceiling started to fall and they heard loud footsteps. The rocks from the ceiling started to form more golems as a giant golem appeared overhead.

"Well this is going to be very irritating." Josh said with a sigh.

"What the hell are we going to do? We can't waist our energy on these weaklings." Elda said as she got ready to shoot more.

"I have a plan. It shouldn't be that hard to execute, even for the idiot teleporter." Josh said as he dodged a rock aimed for his head.

They all gathered around and started to discuss their plan.

"No matter what you plan, I'll still win. This whole land in my domain and weapon. You can't fight the earth itself." The boss said in a childish tone.

"Ya got that?"

"Yeah. It's should work."

"Let's get started then." Alice said as she stuck her hands out.

She spread all her fingers out and rays of light sprayed out if them. There were five for each finger. (Including the thumbs)

She made a slashing motion with them and sliced through more golems while both Elda and Zephyr ran past her, weapons at the ready. Elda let out some shots that ended up going into the wall while Zephyr threw needles at the opposite wall. A strange array started to appear on the wall and covered the whole cave as Keith teleported the destroyed golems away.

"Looks like it worked." Josh said as wind started to gather around his arm.

The destroyed golem parts rained down on the massive golem, making it start to fall to the ground. As it started to fall, beams of light were shot at it, destroyed parts of it, all the while the boss watched from the safety of its thrown. One the giant golem was in range, Josh jumped back into the air with his fist reeled back. He shot his arm forward and all the wind that was around his arm flew off and slammed into the golem's face, destroying it.

"That was nice team work, but I can just make more soldiers." The boss said as the rock started to rain on all of them, but was blocked. The boss lifted its hand, but unlike last time, nothing came up. "What!? Why won't more soldiers come to me?" He looked at the array around the cave and went wide eyed. "You sealed them off!"

"Took you long enough. Jeez. And to think that _you _were able to do this." Alice said as she and the other two Level 5s looked a little out of breath.

'Note to self: Kill the idiots who keep taking our power and hit myself for letting them do this.' The three teens thought as they stood up straight.

"Why don't we make a deal?" The boss said as it looked down at the group.

Just as it was about to continue speaking, its arm got cut off and a needle was now there.

"You're irritating enough. How dumb do you think we are?" Josh said with a bored expression

"Why would we do that? We can just get rid of you right now." Elda said as she pulled back her bow.

"Because I'm made of the earth and magic. You can get rid of my physical form, but I can easily come back. Your best bet is to make this deal." The boss said with a smug look.

"Alright, what's this deal you want?" Zephyr asked, looking ready to defend himself from an attack.

"I've heard that you are after different creature around the world." It said, looking at the teens. "And that you two want your village back." This time looking at Elda and Zephyr. "Here's the deal I propose. I can give you information on where exactly to find these creature and return the village to the way it was. I'll even leave this island if you want. I was getting kinda bored anyways."

"You really think we can trust you?" Elda said with a glare.

"I say we take the damn deal." Josh said with an irritated sigh.

"We don't really have another choice. Like it said, it can just come back." Alice said as she shook her head.

"I just want to get this over with and get back to my dorm." Keith said, looking uninterested in everything around him.

"Very well. We will take you up on that offer." Zephyr said, walking up. "But if you try anything..." He gave a glare that actually made the three teens shiver. "We _will _destroy you."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get this over with."

* * *

><p>"And that's what happened."<p>

Alice had finished her explanation to the village and their respective groups.

Most of the people looked unsure about this, but the village leader walked in front of them.

"We thank you for your help, young ones. If there's anything we can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask." The man said with a smile.

"You could tell us about this magic stuff. Up until now, I didn't really believe in the stuff, but now I'm a little curious about it." Dai said with a genuine look of curiosity.

"Very well. I shall tell you. But first, may I ask a question?"

The teen made a gesture to continue.

"Who are those two young ones?" He asked, pointing to Elda and Zypher.

"Oh. Those two helped us out. They said they were from your village. Their names are Elda and Zephyr." Josh said as he looked back at the two.

"What? Are you sure that's their names?" The man asked, getting a nod. "But...that's impossible."

"It's very possible, Gramps." Zephyr said as the two walked up.

"What? What's going on?" Alice asked with a confused look.

"But you two...died..."

This came as a shock to the AC group.

"Yes we did, grandfather. We just couldn't leave until we beat that horrible monster. Even if we didn't beat it, it's still nice to know that it won't bother you again."

Both Elda and Zephyr's bodies started to fizzle.

"We can leave now. We're sorry, but it was nice seeing you again."

"Yes. It was good to see you again, children. I hope you two can rest in peace." The man said with a smile and some tears.

When he blinked, the two were gone.

"Poor guy..."

"Well I guess an explanation is needed." The man said, turning back to the group. "You see, in contrast to you Espers who have only one ability, magicians can create many supernatural phenomena without restrictions, but they have to take the time and effort. Additionally, all forms of magic are based around a certain ideological premise. This kind of premise can originate from almost anything culturally narrative including religions, belief systems, mythologies, or even folklore and fairy tales. We can do multiple stuff that science can't, but we just take a longer time to do it."

"So it's basically how we've heard about it from when we were younger." Alice said, getting a nod.

"More or less. We do magic based on the Idol Theory. Basically, objects or events contain certain symbolic meanings and powers and thus it is possible to draw on that power by imitating, altering, or magnifying said object or event. A simple cross placed in a church can duplicate the Cross that the Son of God was crucified on, and accordingly will duplicate its sacred, holy power."

"That's amazing. I would have never thought of something like that." The blond said.

'We live in a city filled with science, but we also believe in this magic stuff. We have some major childhood issues and/or obsessions.' Josh thought with a sigh. He got a small smile though and looked to be in thought again.

"Yes well, on to a different topic. You people are free to stay here as long as you wish, so please don't feel the need to rush out." The man said.

"We are really grateful for all your help." The couple from before said as they walked forward. "That monster was not what we wished for, so we are glad to see it gone."

'A monster you want to get rid of, huh...Sounds familiar...' Will thought with a sad smile and expression.

"Rūku-san..." Takeshi gave the blond a worried look.

"Hm? Oh, don't worry, Takeshi. I was just thinking about something else." The blond said, noticing the look his young friend was giving him.

"...If you say so..."

"For this joyous occasion, we shall have a celebration!" The old man said, making the village yell out in agreement.

"We will set everything up, so you people just relax, okay?" The man said as he looked at the group.

"Thank you, sir, but we don't want to bother you." Alice said with a polite bow.

"It's no trouble at all." The man said before leaving.

"Alright, we need to figure out what we're going to do. That golem boss gave us some information on where we could possibly find these 'creatures'. We have to find out who is going where." Keith said as he pulled out a paper with multiple names on it. "From what this says, the places they could be in are France, three in England, another in Scotland, Sweden, Iceland, Japan, Romania and Greece."

"Since we will be picky with these, and there aren't enough for everyone, we should make teams and pairs for some of these and draw for which one we should get." Alice said as she ripped another piece of paper and wrote something on each of them. She turned to Josh, who looked uninterested in the conversation.

"Can I use your jacket for a moment? I need the hood for this to work.

"I guess." Josh said as he reluctantly handed the red jacket over with a sigh.

"Alright, so first we need to know who's going with who." The blond said as she mixed the papers.

"I'll go with Take-kun!" Senna said happily as she latched onto the other's arm.

"Rinka-san, may I go with you?" Kei asked, looking at the fellow brunette.

"Hm? Sure. I don't mind. I would have thought that you would want to go with one of your friends though." Rinka said with a questioning look.

"Yeah, well, I would like to get to know more different people."

Kei got a nod in return.

"Mei and I will be a team." Natsu said, getting some grins from certain people. "Shut up!"

"I'm gonna go with Elect-Error so we can find out who is better." Donald said as the other blond took a step back.

"Shinji, Aki, can you two handle doing one on your own?" Josh asked, looking at his classmates.

"Yeah. We'll be fine." Aki answered while Shinji nodded his head.

"Yuji, Masumi, I want you two to go with them." Keith said, not even looking at the two.

"Hai." The two said.

"That should be fine. Now why don't we pick. Josh, you can go first." Alice said as she held out the jacket.

Doing as he was told, Josh picked a slip and looked at it.

"Iceland. Nice." Josh said with a satisfied smile. "I've always wanted to go to the Nordic countries. This should be fun, to say the least."

"Next."

Keith walked up and picked a slip.

"I'm going to Romania."

Rinka stepped up and picked a slip.

"Scotland."

Next was Shinji.

"Sweden."

Senna walked up.

"England."

Natsu got the next slip.

"Greece."

Hans walked up next.

"France."

Will got the next one.

"England."

Dai took the next one while Alice took the last one.

"Japan." The time distorter said in a bored tone.

"I'm going to England too." Alice said as she handed the jacket back.

"Remember to be safe, Onee-san." Rinka said, looking at Alice.

"Same to you. Make sure that both of you come back safe." The blond said back.

"You better not lose since you challenged him." Keith said, looking at Donald. "Same goes for the rest of you. Don't lose to these people."

"Yes, sir!" Masumi said.

"You sure they'll let you in the airport?" Josh asked, looking at Hans. "They might mistake you for a lost child."

"Shut the hell up!" The German yelled back. "I can take care of myself, so just leave me alone."

"I already know you three can, that's why I'm not worried. If anything, I'm just curious as to see what you find." Josh said nonchalantly. "Both Senna and Takeshi are capable kids, so no worries there. You may be a midget, but you're in Zunō, so I don't give a damn. And Will is definitely fine, even if he was on his own."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Keith asked, butting in on the conversation.

"I mean that Will is going to prove that he is better than your blond friend." Josh said with a smug look.

"Yeah right. Did you forget that he lost last time?" Keith shot back with his own smug look. "He can probably take on both your blondie and her Right Hand." He said, pointing to Alice and Rinka.

"Hey, don't talk about her like that. Rinka will be done with her assignment _way _before either of those two are done." Alice said, pointing to Will and Donald.

"Yeah right. Will can get it done quicker than both of your Right Hands and he's teamed up with one of them."

Sparks shot through the three of them and everyone else watched nervously.

"Fine! We'll just see who is better!" The three said at the same time. They quickly turned around to face their respective Right Hand.

"Rinka, I want you to show them your girl power!" Alice said, making Rinka nod her head quickly.

"Donald, you better get it done with before either of them have time to touch the ground, you got me!?" Keith said as the other blond took a step back.

"Will, show these chumps that you're the best and bring back a prize!" Josh said as Will started to sweat a little.

'Wow. These three are very competitive...' They all thought.

"You're going down!"

**_END CHAPTER_**

**Crappy chapter that sped through parts, I know. I just wanted to hurry and get to these next few chapters. I'm very excited for what I have planned, so I'm sorry about that. I still hope you enjoy! Until next time, bye!**


	25. Chapter 25

**And here it is! Chapter 25 for all of you three people actually continuing to read this! This one and the next few (like next 10) should be around this many words, so it may take awhile. Well, let's get started!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 25: <strong>Trolling is for Losers

"Man that was a good sleep!" Alice said as she walked outside. The sun was shining brightly, but the blond didn't seem too effected by it. Alice stretched her arms out and let out a small yawn.

"It's about time you got up. Most of them left already." Keith said, getting the other blond's attention.

Looking around, Alice saw that the only ones there were Keith, Senna, Will, Donald and Takeshi. They all heard a yawn and saw Josh walking towards them.

"So everyone left already?" Josh asked as he also looked around.

"Yeah. We decided to stay here to wait for Alice. Since we are all going to England, except you and Keith, we decided to just go together then split up." Will explained, getting a nod in return.

Keith gave a huff before turning around and walking away. The #2 had been a little miffed about having to teleport a long distance while having his 'collar' on the whole time. If it wasn't for the technology around his neck he would have been there by now.

"Well I'm off. Make sure to beat that guy." Keith said, looking at Donald before disappearing.

"What a jackass. I guess I should get going too." Josh said as he scratched the back of his head.

The other #2 was also annoyed with the distance, but said nothing about it since it was his own choice to go. He looked tired, but a the same time ready for anything. He didn't like the fact that they just had to deal with something that he didn't think existed and now had to go find another something that may not even exist in the first place.

"Are you sure you can make it to Iceland with your ability? If you need to stop, then just do it." Will said with a concerned look.

"He's right. Since we have these things, our abilities will be weaker." Alice said, also looking a little worried.

"I'll be fine. I know when I need to take a break. I'd rather not do this at all, but whatever. Just make sure you all make it back to the city alright and in one piece." The air user said as he started to walk away. "Well, I'll be seeing ya."

He also disappeared, leaving the two blond to let out a sigh. They knew that he would either take too many breaks or not enough breaks and that made the two worry a little more

"Well I think we should get going now. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can go back to the city." Donald started to walk way with the others following him.

* * *

><p>"This is going to suck. I'm not good with the cold." Yuji complained as he and the other three walked out of the airport. He had on heavy clothing and a big coat. Aki had on some regular winter clothes. Shinji had on some autumn clothes and Masumi wore winter clothes as well.<p>

"Sucks for you. I have my fire." Masumi said as he looked down at his phone.

'Maybe we should have declined...' The other two thought.

"Well if we get this done with quickly, we can leave sooner." Aki said, seeming not to want to be there either.

"Du måste vara från Academy City. Du verkar väldigt ung." They all turned to see a tall man with blond hair, glasses, a blue coat and a glare. "Mitt namn är Berwald. Jag kommer att vara din guide."

"Who is this guy? And why is he glaring at us?" Yuji whispered to the others.

"Mitt namn är Shinji och jag tackar för hjälpen, mr Berwald. Jag är ledsen, men att de inte undertand svenska, skulle du råkar veta japanska?" Shinji said, walking in front of the rest.

"I do. Hello." The other three were a little surprised at the switch of the language, but didn't say anything. "My name is Berwald."

"H-hello. My name is Aki." The wind manipulator said with a bow.

"I am Yuji, and this is Masumi." The psychokinetic said, pointing to himself then to his friend.

"Berwald-san is going to be our guide." Shinji informed, getting a nod from the three.

"Please follow me. I will take you to where you will be staying." The tall man said while the four followed.

"Thank you for the help, Berwald-san." Aki said has he rubbed his hands together. "Man it's cold. You're lucky you're an ice user, Hitomi-kun. I've been trying to do what Hopper-kun does to deal with the cold, but it's not working."

"Well Hopper-san heats up the air around him. Since you just manipulate the wind, I don't think it will be too helpful." Shinji said nonchalantly.

"Unless..." Aki looked at Masumi, who was still on his phone, but with an angry expression. Closing his eyes, Aki stopped shivering and let out a sigh of relief. "I guess it's a good thing that his AIM field heats the area around him.

"Sådana konstiga barn." Berwald said as they reached his car.

"Till andra människor, ja, vi är." Shinji said as they all got in the car.

"How do you even know Swedish?" Yuji asked as they drove off.

"I've learned multiple language in my life, so this is easy for me." The others just gave a nod at this.

"I'm just wondering why we were stuck going with you two. I would rather have gone with Keith-sama." Masumi said, still looking at his phone.

"Just shut up. It's not like you would be much help to anyone anyways." Yuji said with a bored look.

"So, Berwald-san, what exactly are we suppose to be looking for?" Aki asked, trying to ignore the two.

"Trolls."

* * *

><p>'Will those two be okay? Even with those other two...I'm on my way to the Nordics anyways...' Josh continued to fly through the air with an indifferent look. 'Nah. I guess I need to have some faith in those two. I just wonder if they'll actually find some.'<p>

After a minute or so, he felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He looked at the screen and saw a picture of Kei and her name right under it. Pressing the send button, he put the phone to his ear and waited.

_"Hello? Josh-kun?"_

"Yes?"

_"Oh, good. I just wanted to know if you were okay. You know, with the whole power restraint and all."_

'Talk about good service. I just hope we aren't charged for these calls.' Josh thought with a sigh. "Yeah. I'm fine. I was just thinking that I should go check on Aki and Shinji."

_"Aw! How sweet of you! You really _do _care!"_

"Nope. I just didn't want to be responsible if those two die. I could care less about the other two." The Level 5 said so smoothly that Kei couldn't tell if he was kidding or not. "Besides those two Judgment officers and Aki and Shinji are the only ones without a Level 4 or higher."

_"True. But you should remember that those two are Level 3 and are very smart. I'm sure they'll be fine."_

"Guess you're right. How about you? How are these going on your end?"

_"Fine. We're going to land soon, so I'll have to hang up."_

'She's the one who called first.' The male let out another sigh, but didn't voice his thought. "Alright. You two be carful."

_"Same to you."_

"Right." With that, the two hung up. 'Sometimes females can be irritating.'

* * *

><p>"This is a nice place." Aki said as the group walked into a house.<p>

He looked around and saw that the the house seemed small with the living room to their right as soon as they walk in, a hallway that led to a room at the end and another room on the side of the hall. He saw a small entrance that seemed to be connected to a kitchen and a small table that he guessed was for when they ate and a sliding door that went into the backyard.

"Take a seat."

Doing as they were told, the four sat around the living room. The area consisted of a sofa, a small table in front of it, an armchair on either side of the sofa, a TV in front of the table and against the wall. To finish it off, there was a stand that had multiple pictures on it.

'So is this his house?' They all thought.

As he continued to look around, Aki felt a buzz and pulled out his phone to see that Kei was calling him. He pressed send and put the phone to his ear.

'These phones are great if we can get service out here.' The brunet thought before speaking. "Yes? Moshimoshi?"

_"Aki-kun!"_

"Chie-chan?"

_"I called to see if you guys were okay."_

"We're fine over here. We arrived in Sweden not too long ago."

_"That's good to hear. __Josh-kun seems to be worried about you two and was thinking about heading your way."_

"Really? I'll call him and tell him we're fine. It's nice to know that he's worried about us. I'm guessing that he was worried about you too."

_"More-or-less. He was more worried about you guys since you don't have a Level 4 or Level 5 with you. I was able to convince him that you guys would be fine."_

"Thanks. We'll be fine over here. We have a ice user, so at least one of us will survive this cold." He heard a small laugh on the other end. "I still think I'll call Hopper-kun to clear his mind though."

_"Alright. I need to go now though. We'll be landing soon. I'll probably call back when we're done here."_

"Alright. Be safe over there."

_"Same to you. Bye."_

"Bye." Taking the phone from his ear, Aki pressed the End button and let out a small sigh.

"So what did she say?" Shinji asked, looking at his friend.

"She just wanted to know how we were doing over here and that she'll be landing soon." The brunet said as he looked at his phone in contemplation. "She also said that Hopper-kun was worried about us, but she convinced him that we were fine." Before they could continue their small conversation, Berwald walked back in the room.

"Här är den information vi har." The Swedish man said as he out a folder on the table.

"Tack. Vi får se vad vi kan göra." Shinji said as he opened the folder and looked at its contents. 'So they are supposedly in the mountains...Taking children...Destroying farms and churches...This seems a bit odd...'

"What does it say?" Aki asked as he also looked at the papers.

"It's says where they think these 'trolls' are and what they have done." Shinji said as he continued to look at the papers. 'But I doubt they could survive the cold weather.'

"So we just need to go there and see if we find anything." Yuji said as he tried to understand the words on the paper.

"Det kommer inte vara så lätt. Bergen är tufft att ta itu med." Berwald said calmly while three of the four looked at their fourth member in confusion.

"Tack för din oro, men jag är en is -användare och har en hög tolerans för kallt. För att inte nämna att han är en brand användare, så han har också en tolerans för kyla." Shinji said as he pointed to Masumi.

"What are you two saying?" Yuji asked, getting a little irritated.

"Nothing much. Now that we have a general location as to where they can be, we can go and see if these trolls really exist." Shinji said, not taking his eyes off the papers. He stopped after reading a certain part and looked up at Berwald while pointing to a part. "Mr. Berwald, jag har en fråga om denna. Vad är detta "Changeling" sak? Jag har aldrig hört talas om detta innan."

'Why don't they just speak Japanese? If he can speak it, then why speak Swedish?' Yuji thought while the two spoke.

"I see... So maybe we can use that to our advantage." The black haired boy muttered with a thoughtful expression.

'Wow. Hitomi-kun must be thinking a lot about this. No wonder he gets the best grades among the four of us.' Aki thought as he saw his friend quickly going over the papers again and muttering multiple stuff under his breath.

"Alright. Berwald-san, do you mind if we stay the night. I will be able to come up with a plan of action by tomorrow and we will be out of your hair by the end of tomorrow." Shinji said as he put the papers down.

"It's fine. I was already planning on letting you stay." The blond man said as he stood up. "Just as long as you don't mind-"

"Olemme takaisin, Berwald!"

The four turned to the door to see another man walk in the house with a small boy right behind him. The two had grocery bags in their arms as they walked in.

Both had blond hair while the younger one wore a sailor outfit, the older one had a regular sweater and jeans on.

'How the hell can those two wear those in this kind if weather!?' Both Aki and Yuji thought in astonishment.

"Ai? En tiennyt , että ihmiset olisivat täällä." The man said as he and the kid went and put the bags on the table.

"Pahoittelemme sekaantumatta, sir. Olemme Japanista. Tarkemmin, Academy Kaupunki." Shinji said as he gave a small bow. "Nimeni on Hitomi Shinji. On mukava tavata."

"No need to be so formal. My name is Tino. It's nice to meet you all." The man said with a kind smile.

"Hello! My name is Peter!" The smallest blond said happily as he bounced over to them.

"Hello, Peter. My name is Shinji." The teen said, looking down at the boy.

"My name is Aki. Thank you for your kindness." The brunet said with a small bow.

"I am Yuji and this is Masumi."

"So are you two roommates or something? I'm guessing he's your little brother then." Aki said as he looked from Tino to Peter, who was busy talking to Shinji.

"Tino is my wife. Peter is our child." Berwald said as he walked towards Tino.

"..."

'...Everyone has their own preferences...'

'That was...unexpected...'

'We are in Sweden...'

'I wonder what Keith-sama is doing.'

"Berwald! I am sorry about him." Tino said with a bow.

"Um...There's no need to be sorry. None of us really mind someone's preferences." Aki said, trying to calm the middle blond down.

"O-oh. Okay then." Tino let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "To tell you the truth, we're dating right now, and maybe later..." He shook his head and gave a big smile. "Well, I'm going to start dinner now. Come on, Peter."

"Aw~ But I wanted to play with Shinji!"

"I can help with the cooking, if that's fine with you." Aki raised his hand as he asked that. He felt that since Shinji was thinking about what to do, he could help with something else.

"Sure. The help would be nice."

"I will be working on this for a little bit, then I can play with you, Peter-kun."

"Okay!"

'...Why do I feel out of place here...?' Yuji looked over to Masumi and saw that he was still on his phone.

* * *

><p>"S-s-s-seriously! I thought S-Sweden was in i-it's warm s-s-s-season!" Yuji tried to warm himself up by rubbed his hands on his arms, but to no avail.<p>

"You do realize how high up in the air we are, right? Just be glad that I have enough power to bring this air up with us." Aki didn't seem too happy either, but didn't complain either.

"You are some strange kids." Berwald seemed to be fine with the fact they were all on a mountain with snow all over the place.

"To others, yes, we are." Shinji seemed as fine as Berwald and was simply looking around.

"Why the h-hell did w-w-w-we leave the p-p-portable h-heater back at the bot-t-tom again?"

"Just stop complaining. If it'll make you feel any better, I'd prefer to be down there as well."

As stated before, the four were currently on a mountain with two freezing in the snow and the other two seeming to not mind the cold. While this may have seemed dangerous for ordinary people, these were crazy teenagers who went under the Power Curriculum Program and had become freaks of nature. Although the Level 2 and wind user didn't seem to be fairing to well.

"Hitomi-kun, why are you so intent on finding these things anyways? They probably don't even exist. It goes against science and is most likely just an animal."

"Oh...Let's head down. I'll tell you when you two don't seem to being turning into icicles." Shinji said with a playful smile.

"Th-th-th-thank you-u-u!"

"I am interested in the answer as well." The attention moved over to Berwald as they started down the mountain. "I wouldn't think Academy City would take up any offer to help with something like this. There's also the thought that everyone in that city would be too scientific to even want to see if we are telling the truth."

"That's fair enough. Personally, I believe that the city's Board of Directors is just trying to show off their progress without showing how the progress is made." Shinji seemed as calm as ever and didn't seem to take any offense when hearing this when the other two Espers looked a little offended. "That thought is backed up by the fact that they have sent some of their best in the form of three Level 5s."

"What is a 'Level 5?'"

"A Level 5 is a-"

"A-are you sure y-y-you-u should be t-t-telling this guy about-t-t this stuff-f?" Yuji asked with his teeth still chattering.

"I don't see an issue with it? It's basic trivia for us, so I doubt it would be much a problem if I simply told him about our ranking systems." Shinji turned back to Berwald and continued his explanation. "In Academy City, we Espers are ranked by our levels. The levels range from a Level 0 to a Level 5. It's kinda like social stature."

"So, if it was a pyramid, these Level 0s would be at the bottom and the Level 5s would be the peak?"

"Ah...Not really."

This got a confused look, not just from Berwald, but from the other two as well.

"Really? That's always how I thought of it."

"Y-yeah. Me t-t-too."

"Well, it is true that the Level 0s would be the bottom, but we Level 3s would be the top. That leave the Level 1s and Level 2s as the inbetweens. Level 4 Espers would be...in a sense, the birds flying over the pyramid. Level 5s...They would be the sky..." (1)

"I never thought of it that way."

"Well that's just in my opinion. Others can think of it differently." Shinji said with a smile.

"Huh? What do you mean? That seems pretty accurate to me."

"Well, like you all though, some might think that Level 5s are the top. People like Hopper-san probably see it as something simpler like a plant and its roots, while at the same times, someone like Flora-san would humble herself and saw that the Level 5 spots rant that different from the Level 4 spots."

'He thinks about all this stuff from small talk? This boy certainly something else. Just judging from his behavior, he could easily be one of those Level 4s, maybe even a Level 5.' Berwald couldn't help that thought that just appeared in his head.

* * *

><p>"So did you find anything?"<p>

They were all back on the house with a bowl of soup in front of each of them. Most had finished while others were simply playing around with the food.

"Not really."

"Don't ask him that."

"We'll go back up later."

"But I'm wondering if they did."

"Are all of you going back up?"

"I'm telling you it's better not to ask."

"Just me and Berwald-san."

"Excuse me, but I have a question." All attention went to Masumi. The only person who wasn't looking at him was Yuji, who was currently shaking his head with a sigh.

"Hm? Yes? What is it?"

"Did you get your furniture from IKEA?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

'Did he really...'

'...just ask that question?'

"...Idiot..."

"Yes, we did."

"Let's just...get back to the topic had hand...Please?" Aki couldn't believe that one of his current comrades had just asked that. He knew there wasn't anything actually wrong with the question, but he still found it somewhat insulting in a way for the Swede.

"Right. Well...I thought that you three could look around the base of the mountain again. There may be some hidden parts that you and Tsutomu-san may find." Shinji closed his eyes and seemed to be in thought before nodding his head. "If you find anything, just send out a signal and we'll try and get there quickly."

"Alright. Now on to a different matter." Kai's expression changed to a serious one, making the others also get serious. "You said you would tell us why you're interested in this stuff when we got back."

They all stared at the wind manipulator or a few seconds before they all gave different reactions.

Berwald let out a small sigh.

Masumi pulled out his phone.

Shinji gave a small smile.

Tino gave a chuckle.

Yuji...well...

"What the hell!? We thought you were gonna say something serious!"

"Hehehe. Sorry. I was just curious." Aki rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and let out a nervous laugh.

"Alright. I did say I would tell you." Shinji let out a small chuckle and began. "It's actually really simple. When I first got to Academy City, I knew that it would be filled with science, and people having abilities had amazed me. I thought that there was something more to our abilities then theories and experiments, so I wanted to try and find that stuff out. It is true that they teach us all about scientific knowledge, but I had always been interested in those bedtime stories with people having extraordinary powers and the like. If you think about it, there really is some stuff that science can't explain."

"What do you mean? Are you talking about these 'trolls' or something?"

"Well, that too. What I am talking about is simpler. Luck. There are ratios for everything, but that means that there will be 'odds' to determine where on the 'ratio' a person will end up on. That being said, it would be an endless tree of trying to figure out where you would be placed on a 'ratio.' I think luck helps decide with the 'odds' on where a person is on a 'ratio.' There are other things, but that was what really got me into these kinds of things."

Most of the people there stared at Shinji in astonishment at his story. They would have never thought of something like that, so they had to wonder how someone as young as him could think like that at an even younger age.

"Shinji-kun..."

"Hm? Yes? What is it?"

"I've decided..." Aki looked at Shinji with a determined expression. "I'll help you get stronger and make sure you become a Level 5!"

"What?"

"You're a Level 3, but with how you think, and how strong I know you are, you can become a Level 5! I want to help you reach the top! I'll make you stronger than even Hopper-kun!"

Shinji went from shocked to touched instantly. He gave a kind smile and shook his head. He couldn't believe that he was hearing this from someone who would probably love to be a Level 5.

"Thank you. I appreciate it. I will be in your care then."

"Ah. Such great friends. You hardly see that now. I'm really glad there are people like you in this world." They all turned to Tino, who was picking up the bowls. "I don't know what these 'Level 3' and 'Level 5' things mean, but I'll be rooting for you."

Berwald nodded in agreement with his 'wife.'

"Thank you, Tino-san, Berwald-san."

'I was asked a simple question on the first day of school, and now I have someone striving to make me a Level 5.' Shinji looked at his friend and the two hosts with a calm smile. 'I'm glad he asked me that question.'

* * *

><p>"It's still cold down here!"<p>

"At least we have a small heater with us this time."

Aki and Yuji were currently looking around a forest area while trying to stay close by to Masumi for some warmth. They hadn't found anything yet, but they also didn't want to leave their 'little heater' either.

"So what exactly are we suppose to be looking for?" Yuji asked as he tried to find something hidden.

"A cave, or something that a creature could hide in. I'm completely sure since there doesn't seem to be many places to hide around here."

"Urg. I really can't get any signal here. How am I suppose to check if Keith-sama is okay if I can't get a single bar."

"You're suppose to be helping us out, idiot! Put the damn phone away and get to looking!" Yuji went over to hit Masumi on the head, but stopped when he heard a cracking sound. He turned to see a tree about to fall on him and couldn't move in time.

"Watch out!"

The next thing Yuji knew, a strong gust of wind blew him back and out of the falling tree's way.

The safety didn't last long as another tree was headed for him. He was able to roll out of the way this time. He quickly got up and ran over to the other two a third tree started to fall.

"What the heck is going on?" Aki moved his hands in a slashing motion and cut the tree up, making it fall away from the three. 'Someone has to be knocking these trees down. It's not natural. I could try...Alright! I'll try it!'

'What is he doing now?' Yuji took a sideways glance to Aki with a curious look.

Aki closed his eyes and look in a breath before letting it out. Some wind started revolving around him before spreading out and weaving through the trees. After a few seconds, Aki's eyes shot open and had made a slashing motion to his left.

"Over there!"

The tree that was in the way was cut and started to fall to the ground.

"Well there goes my hiding spot. I didn't expect you to have a sensory person with you. I guess that's enough hiding though."

A person walked from behind the now knocked down tree for the others to see that it was a man. He seemed to be only a few years older then them with his height being a head taller than Aki. He had green hair and green eyes. He wore a small vest looking to be made of vines and a pair of pants that were covered in leaves and dirt.

"We're kinda busy right now, so if you could just leave us alone."

"I know what you're looking for. Looks like you found one." The guy stuck his hand out and gave a dark grin. "Time to turn you little kids into trolls."

'I hope Hitomi-kun and Berwald-san are in a better position than us.'

* * *

><p>"Guden av åska och blixtar, ge mig din makt!"<p>

**BOOOM!**

"**AAAAAHHHHHHH! **Bad noise!"

"Shinji!"

"Right!"

"Cold bad!"

Shinji jumped away before a big fist could smash into him. Just as he landed, he accidentally slipped and landed on his behind just as the giant got to him.

"Jag kommer att skydda denna pojke oavsett vad."

Berwald was right in front of Shinji with a hammer in hand and blocking a giant fist from hurting the teenager. Using more strength, he was able to push the giant back and go in for a quick strike. The hit had landed and sent the giant back even farther.

"Tack, Mr. Berwald." Shinji stood up and got ready for another round. "What is that thing? Could it be a troll?"

The two stared at the giant who seemed to be twice as big as Berwald with only a loincloth covering its private parts. It's skin was an odd green color and had a few strands of brown hair sticking out of its head.

"Yes. This is why I brought this hammer with me."

"What do you mean?"

"Trolls are afraid of lightning, so this hammer represents Mjölnir."

"The god Thor's hammer? But how does that work?"

"By using something to represent the hammer I can recreate the abilities the hammer was able to use. I can create the sound of thunder and bring down some lightning."

Shinji couldn't believe what he had just heard. He was about to question it further when he saw the hand holding the hammer with some burn marks on it. He put together that there was some consiquences for using something like that constantly.

'Berwlad-san is hurting himself to defeat this thing and protect me...' Shinji stood up and took in a breath. He let it out and got a determined look in his eyes. "If I want to get to Level 5 I must show that I can fight any enemy. Thank you for protecting me, Berwald-san, but that won't be necessary anymore."

"What are you-"

"If I want to surpass _him _and make Aki-san proud then I will need to be able to protect myself and whoever else I can!"

Berwald looked at Shinji and saw his determination. He gave a grunt and turned back to the 'troll' while lifting the hammer from a defensive position to an offensive one.

"Alright. Let's end this quickly then."

The 'troll' rushed at the two and tried to land a punch, but they simply jumped away.

Shinji quickly made ice shards and launched them at the creature. He landed on the ground and large ice spikes started coming up from the ground.

The 'troll' moved out of the way, but didn't see an attacker from above.

Berwald slammed the hammer down on the 'troll's' head.

Shinji ran up to the 'troll' and put am arm on it. Ice started covering the 'troll' until it was completely covered in ice.

"It's not done yet."

"I know. Now we have some time to think of a plan."

The two started to hear cracking and tried to think of a good plan.

"Alright...I might have something in mind. I need you to distract it for a few seconds though." Berwald took a side glance at Shinji. "Can you do it?"

"Yes. Just leave it to me."

Shinji lifted his hands in front of himself while Berwald jumped away.

"Change back...Beat you...I change..."

'So it was turned into a troll? But how?'

Shinji started to form ice in front of himself and made a thick ice shield between him and the 'troll.'

"Beat you! Change back!"

The 'troll' repeatedly slammed his fist onto the ice shield. He continued this until there was nothing between him and Shinji.

"Beat you!"

"Shinji, jump away!"

Doing as he was told, Shinji used the 'troll' as a springboard and jumped back just as a rumbling started to occur on the mountain. From his high view, Shinji could see a giant fissure right behind the 'troll.' He saw that the 'troll' was trying to keep his balance. He also saw some red off to the side and saw Berwald on his knees in the middle of the red colored snow.

"I'll finish this."

Shinji landed not too far from the 'troll.' He moved his hand to try and make ice, but found that he couldn't do that. He used up too much energy on the shield and his calculations were starting to get messed up.

"I will definitely finish this!"

He tried again, but instead of hard ice being shot out, it was snow. Shinji went wide eyed at this, but continued anyways. He was determined to send that 'troll' to the very bottom of the fissure.

More snow started hitting the 'troll,' making it lose it's balance.

Before he passed out, Shinji saw the giant 'troll' fall down. He saw it fall into the fissure.

He had won.

* * *

><p>"Why are you running away, children? I thought you were suppose to defeat me, or something? You are not providing much of a challenge."<p>

"What's going on? Whenever we get a hit on this guy he just gets back up with no injuries on him."

The three Espers ran through the forest as the man leisurely walked towards them as if he was simply bored and killing some time. They had tried to hide, but that see was futile against whatever power this man had at his disposal.

'Not only that...Why is my heart beating fast? Even if I'm running, my heart rate isn't suppose to be this fast. I'm also sweating an abnormally more than I would even if I ran a mile. Then there's this feeling...A feeling in my gut that's telling me to keep running from this man. It tells me he's more dangerous than anything I've seen...Even more dangerous than facing a Level 5 head on.' Aki went wide eyed as he dodged another tree falling. "Fear. I'm afraid. I'm terrified."

"Oh!? So one of you has figured it out, huh? Yes, you three are terrified for your lives. While my partner uses the old Norse style of Troll magic, I use the newer version that allows me to manipulate my environment, to an extent, have hyper regeneration, and cause little children like yourselves to fear for your lives. I make sure that you brats will always be a nervous wreck that will be fearful of everything. I'll make sure that I am the most terrifying thing you have ever seen in your entire life."

'What are we suppose to do against someone like him? We are low leveled! We can't beat him! Hopper-kun was right! We need someone stronger here to help us!' While he was in his thoughts, Aki didn't see a root sticking out, making him trip and causing his glasses to go flying.

"Hey, do lag behind!" Yuji turned around to see Aki on the ground, shivering and seeming to be unable to move. "Hey...G-get up! We need to escape!"

Masumi turned his head to see what had happened and also, reluctantly stopped.

'Our fear...We are too afraid...'

Yuji looked from the man then to Aki.

'We can't win against this monster...'

"Leave him behind, Yuji! Come on!"

'Jones-kun and Hopper-kun would have no problem with this guy...'

"Damn it!"

Yuji ran forward.

"You idiot!"

Masumi ran to them.

A throbbing pain ran through Aki's whole body.

'This pain...'

_"...Hey...Aki..."_

_"Yes? Did you need something, Hopper-kun?"_

_"No...It's just..." He let out a sigh. "I don't like being nosy, but...What's with the scars on your body?"_

_"Huh!? H-how do you know about them?"_

_"When we were changing, you were the last one to actually change. Before I went out I saw the scars."_

_"Oh. Well..."_

_A sigh._

_"You don't have to tell me if you don't want too. It's none of my business in the first place."_

_"No, no. It's fine. It's just...the memory is kinda painful."_

_A sigh._

_"Like I said, you don't have to tell me."_

_"Like _I _said, it's fine. I don't mind tell you. We're friends after all."_

"..."

_"?"_

_"...So what happened?"_

"I can't believe I'm helping at a time like this!"

'That's right. That memory is painful...'

"Just shut up and run!"

'And it's also scary...to return to it...'

"Nowhere to run, little children~~~"

'But I was able to get past the pain and fear...because he let me vent everything out...'

"Damn...I can't go on..."

'So I can get over this fear as well...'

"Looks like I win~~~"

"Because he'll let me vent it out again..."

The man stopped and looked at the three teenagers on the ground, shaking in fear.

"What was that? Are you praying to God? That seems like the best option here."

"Not just him...Shinji-kun, and Kei-chan too. I know they'll let me vent it all out, just like him..."

"Hm? 'Him?' Are you talking about-"

The man went wide eyed when he was hit in the stomach by a punch. This punch wasn't an ordinary one as it had wind covering it and enhanced its power.

"I'm really grateful for my ability..."

"Wha..."

"How did he..."

"What the hell is going on!?" The man got up with a furious look on his face. "How could you hit me!?"

"Thanks to my ability, I can help Shinji-kun become a blizzard..."

"Answer me, damnit! How are you not afraid of me!?"

"...I can help Kei-chan by making her a storm..."

"Don't you dare ignore me!" The man slammed his foot onto the ground. The ground shook as multiple trees started to fall on top of the three. "Hahahahaha! Die, brat!"

"...and I can make sure he always has air to fight with..."

A strong wind blew all three falling trees away from the three and headed towards the man, knocking him away. The wind quickly turned sharp and cut down some nearby trees in the process.

"So I'm really glad I have this ability!" Aki gave a big smile before his eyes started to close and he started to fall back.

Yuji and Masumi quickly caught him before he hit the ground. They saw that he was knocked out and didn't seem to be waking up, but was still breathing.

"He was still afraid. Maybe even terrified, but he was able to do this much damage. His calculations should have been off because of the fear. How did he get that much power?"

"This is starting to look like a clichè manga. We should get going before that dude gets back up."

The two stood up and had one of Aki's arm around their shoulders. They started to walk away when they felt that feeling return. They slowly turned around to see the guy start to stand back up.

"That was a nice trick, but I'm still-"

**BANG!**

The two watched as blood started coming from the guy's head. A bullet-sized hole was in his head. The man started to fall to the ground before making a thud sound.

"What...happened?"

"Looks like I made it in time. That was a close one."

The two looked up one of the remaining trees to see Tino in a branch with a sniper rifle in his hand. He looked at the two and waved with a smile.

"We're...saved. I'm so glad."

The two slumped to the ground, tired and out of breath. They leaned on each other and kept silent. They were alive. They has made it through that.

"What now?"

* * *

><p>"Well, it was nice having you all here. You are all welcome back anytime."<p>

"Thank you, Tino-san. We are grateful for your hospitality."

It had been a day since the encounter with the man and the giant. The group was currently standing in an airport, waiting for a plane to arrive and take the A.C. Espers away.

"Aw~~~ Do you really have to go? I wanted to lay some more!" Peter whined as he pouted.

Shinji knelt down to the smallest blond's level and gave a smile. He would miss playing with the kid and didn't want to see him upset.

"Don't be mad, Peter-kun. Next time we can play as long as you want."

"You promise?" Peter took a peak to see Shinji smiling at him.

"Yes. I promise."

"Alright then! I'll hold you to that promise."

"Berwald-san, Tino-san, again, thank you for your hospitality." Aki shook hands with the two. "When we see you guys again, we'll show you how much stronger we've gotten."

"I'm looking forward to it. Maybe next time you can bring your other friends as well." Tino smiled as he said that. He really enjoyed the time they had spent, even if most of it was talking about their 'job.'

"Yeah. I'm sure they would love to meet you guys."

"Excuse me. I am here to pick the Academy City residences."

They all turned to see a person in a suit and glasses looking at them. They looked at each other and gave one final farewell before going separate ways.

"I really will miss them."

"I really miss my bed."

"I really miss Keith-sama."

"I am really glad we decided to come here."

* * *

><p>"Hello? Kei-chan?"<p>

_"Hm? Since when did you stop using our last names?"_

"Ah, sorry about that."

_"No, it's fine. I don't think any of us mind."_

"Okay. So are you done with your side?"

_"Yup. We're headed back right now. How about you guys?"_

"Same. We're headed back. We have quite the story to tell too."

_"Well we can all exchange stories when we get back to Academy City. It'll be fun to hear all about what happened."_

"Yeah. I'm sure Hopper-kun will probably come back and say that it was 'such an irritation,' and that he didn't want to go."

_"Yeah. That sounds like what he would say."_

"Well, we should hang up before we spoil anything for each other."

_"I guess you're right. Well, I'll see you later, Aki-kun. Tell Shinji-kun I said hi!"_

"Alright. Bye, Kei-chan."

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><p>"<em><span>This just in, a dragon has been seen flying over the skies of Iceland. There also appears to be a young man and a woman on top of the dragon! An explosion has just occurred on top of the dragon! It is now falling to the ground! Wait...there it is! A massive eruption has come from Eyjafjallajökull! This has not happened since 2010! What has happened to the dragon and the two people!?"<span>_

* * *

><p><strong>And there's that. There are large cliché moments in this, aren't there?...Anyways! I liked making some parts. I hated making some parts. But I would like to read about your thoughts about this chapter, so please leave a review. Just no flames, kay? Well, until next time, see ya!<strong>

**P.S. I didn't really like the ending, so I understand if you didn't either.**

**P.P.S.S. I probably got a lot of geographical stuff wrong didn't I?**

**P.P.P.S.S.S. For those of you who know what it is, that little 'crossover' will be happening in almost every chapter of this 'arc' now**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hello guys and gals. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be rewriting this story. There are things I want to add, things I want to get rid of and things I want to change. Name changes will be one of them. I would also like to apologize for there not being anything up for a while. I have no excuse for that and will try to put something up when the rewrite is done. So until then, I say see ya.**


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